DRIVING CHANGE

CEO MARY BARRA HAS ONE VISION – TO PUT EVERYONE IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. THIS IS HOW SHE’S LEADING GENERAL MOTORS’ CHARGE TO AN ALL-ELECTRIC FUTURE.

- JULIE COOPER

An engineer by trade, General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra always looks for ways to improve situations and solve challenges. As if born with a crystal ball installed in her very DNA, imagining what’s next and then capitalizing on those opportunities comes second nature to her, almost in the same way improving people’s lives and creating a better world do.

Barra has been with GM throughout her entire career, starting at the young age of 18 as a quality inspector, measuring gaps between the wing panel and door. She took on the role of CEO in 2014 and Chairman in 2016 with one clear goal – to use her newfound status for good.

“As Chairman and CEO of General Motors, I now have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to use my engineering mindset to help make the world a better place on a much larger scale,” she posted on LinkedIn. “At General Motors, we have a vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion. It is our North Star that guides everything we do. I am grateful every day to lead a company with a vision that I am so passionate about.”

A second-generation GM employee (her dad being the first, working 35 years as a die-maker in a GM factory), Barra reveals that cars are her life. They’re a symbol of freedom that have revolutionized society, and now, more than a century later, she sees the opportunity to revolutionize society again.

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