Yet as a new decade dawns, the iconic company is moving with the times, embracing new technology and a commitment to protecting the environment. \u201cWe have the ambition, the talent, and the technology to create a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion\u201d, Barra has stated.<\/strong> \u201cOur future depends on responsible stewardship of the earth, and we continually seek creative and innovative solutions for the environment. Our policies and technologies promote a cleaner planet from supply chain to manufacturing to the vehicles we put on the road.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Under Barra\u2019s leadership, GM is envisioning a world with zero crashes, thus saving lives; zero emissions, so future generations can inherit a healthier planet; and zero congestion, so customers can regain one of life\u2019s most precious commodities\u2013time. While this may sound ambitious, it is undoubtedly the direction in which the industry is headed. \u201cI believe the auto industry will change more in the next 5 to 10 years than it has in the last fifty,\u201d Barra remarked during a recent public address.<\/p>\n As the first woman to head a global automotive manufacturer, the 58-year-old Barra replaced Dan Akerson, GM\u2019s former chairman and CEO, who decided to bring forward his retirement because of his wife\u2019s illness. Akerson\u2019s departure triggered a series of changes on the top floors of the Renaissance Center, GM\u2019s corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit. Dan Ammann, the CFO, for instance, became the firm\u2019s new president\u2014a move that also led the company to search for new talent from outside (Ammann was replaced by Dhivya Suryadevara, a financial analyst who was named among Fortune\u2019s 40 under 40 in 2018.)<\/p>\n Barra\u2019s landmark appointment as CEO had been rumored for months and Akerson did little to hide his respect for the GM veteran. In a conference call with reporters he said that seeing Barra approved unanimously by the firm\u2019s board was a little like \u201cwatching your daughter graduate from college.\u201d Notably, when asked how Barra might fare in a company traditionally known for its old-boy mentality, Akerson insisted that \u201cthat perception is quite dated.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, GM has a fast-growing cadre of top female managers, including six on the board of directors and 20% among the company\u2019s top directors. Elsewhere, a full quarter of its factory managers are women. Yet another female leader, Pamela Fletcher, runs the firm\u2019s crucial electric vehicle program. Still, according to Akerson, Barra was not selected simply because of her gender. \u201cShe is one of the most gifted execs I\u2019ve met in my career,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n The GM that emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009 was run very differently to the way the carmaker was managed in the past. According to Dan Akerson, the situation required as much of a high EQ, or \u201cemotional quotient,\u201d as a solid IQ. To this end, during his nearly four years at the helm, Akerson gained a reputation for focusing on team leadership rather than top-down management.<\/p>\n A decade later, Mary Barra is primarily focused on strengthening GM\u2019s core business of making great cars, trucks, and crossover models, while also working to lead the global transformation of personal mobility through advanced technologies like connectivity, electrification, autonomous driving, and car sharing. She has also established a key strategic direction for the company based on putting the customer at the center of everything GM does.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint,\u201d Barra has said publicly on her business philosophy. \u201cI actually feel like I come to work stronger when I\u2019ve had a little time on the weekend to step away from it and enjoy my family and other things. I come back energized. If people think they\u2019re going to work 24\/7, week in and week out, they\u2019re not bringing their full strength to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n The next challenge for Barra may prove more difficult, however. \u201cThere was a point in time where we were everywhere for everyone with everything,\u201d she said in a recent interview. \u201cWe had to say, \u2018OK, where are we deploying capital that\u2019s not generating appropriate returns?\u2019 Once you start to believe in the science of global warming and look at the regulatory environment around the world, it becomes pretty clear that to win in the future, you\u2019ve got to win with electric and driverless vehicles. This is what we really believe is the future of automotive industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Barra is adamant that GM will sell a million electric vehicles a year in the near future, while lowering costs and gaining an economy-of-scale edge that Elon Musk\u2019s Tesla Inc. would envy. As far as the market for autonomous driving, Dan Ammann, CEO of Cruise Automation, believes a small group of companies will divide a trillion-dollar market. This is the potential that has Barra risking so much. Barra seems prepared for anything. When GM was planning its controversial November 2018 announcement that it would slash jobs by 15% and close plants, management didn\u2019t even make a plan to have its Washington staff do preemptive damage control with the Trump administration or the Michigan and Ohio congressional delegations. On the contrary, Barra calculated that she needed to withstand the heat in order to prepare GM for a near-term downturn and long-term upheaval\u2014and, eventually, if all went to plan, success.<\/p>\nSweeping change<\/strong><\/h1>\n
The first challenge<\/strong><\/h1>\n
Looking ahead<\/strong><\/h1>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Screen-Shot-2020-04-01-at-15.29.45.png\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"