Mary Barra

Mary Barra is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Company. She was elected Chairman of the GM Board of Directors on January 4, 2016, and has served as CEO of GM since January 15, 2014.

Under Barra’s leadership, GM envisions a world with zero crashes, to save lives; zero emissions, so future generations can inherit a healthier planet; and zero congestion, so customers get back a precious commodity -- time. She’s focused on strengthening GM’s core business of great cars, trucks and crossovers, while also working to lead the transformation of personal mobility through advanced technologies like connectivity, electrification, autonomous driving and car-sharing. Barra has also established a strategic direction based on putting the customer at the center of everything the company does.

Barra is credited with expanding GM’s market share, as well as overseeing a whopping 23 percent revenue increase during 2022. While the post-COVID rebound likely accounts for at least some of the year-over-year gains in 2022, Fitch Ratings recently upgraded GM’s credit rating from BBB- to BBB, indicating "good prospects for ongoing viability", an improvement that occurred on Barra’s watch.

Barra has been recognized by several other publications and organizations in recent years, including her July 2023 induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame. The Hall’s president described her as of the “trailblazing innovators and leaders who have left an impact globally on the automotive industry” at the induction ceremony.

Barra began her career with GM in 1980 as a General Motors Institute (Kettering University) co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Division. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, followed by a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Barra serves on the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Company, the Duke University Board of Trustees and the Detroit Economic Club. She is frequently listed atop Fortune's Most Powerful Women list and was featured on the cover of Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2014.