This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25728734
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Profile: Mary Barra, General Motors' new boss | Profile: Mary Barra, General Motors' new boss |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| It's hard to outshine the hundreds of gleaming brand-new cars and trucks here on the floor of the Detroit motor show. But Mary Barra has done just that - leaving behind a trail of journalists tripping over themselves for just a glimpse of the show's biggest star. | It's hard to outshine the hundreds of gleaming brand-new cars and trucks here on the floor of the Detroit motor show. But Mary Barra has done just that - leaving behind a trail of journalists tripping over themselves for just a glimpse of the show's biggest star. |
| Ms Barra, 52, takes over as boss of General Motors (GM) on Wednesday - the first woman ever to run a global carmaker. | Ms Barra, 52, takes over as boss of General Motors (GM) on Wednesday - the first woman ever to run a global carmaker. |
| News of her appointment in December raised eyebrows, mostly because it used to be that the word "she" referred to a sexy sports car here in Motor City. | News of her appointment in December raised eyebrows, mostly because it used to be that the word "she" referred to a sexy sports car here in Motor City. |
| But former GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz - one of the prototypical petrol heads here in Detroit, who once worked with Ms Barra - says he's not surprised she rose to the top job. | But former GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz - one of the prototypical petrol heads here in Detroit, who once worked with Ms Barra - says he's not surprised she rose to the top job. |
| "People ask, can a woman be a car guy? Of course she can," Mr Lutz told the BBC. | "People ask, can a woman be a car guy? Of course she can," Mr Lutz told the BBC. |
| "All you have to do is look at the GM products that have been executed under her - they're all smash hits. | "All you have to do is look at the GM products that have been executed under her - they're all smash hits. |
| "Mary is the right person for the job, no question about it." | "Mary is the right person for the job, no question about it." |
| So who is the woman set to lead GM's revival? | So who is the woman set to lead GM's revival? |
| Daughter of Detroit | Daughter of Detroit |
| Ms Barra is a product of US car country through and through. | Ms Barra is a product of US car country through and through. |
| She grew up in Waterford, Michigan and her father, Ray Makela, was a die maker at the Pontiac car plant for 39 years. | She grew up in Waterford, Michigan and her father, Ray Makela, was a die maker at the Pontiac car plant for 39 years. |
| Her entry into the car industry came early, as part of a co-operative programme at General Motors Institute, now Kettering University, where she worked at a Pontiac plant. | Her entry into the car industry came early, as part of a co-operative programme at General Motors Institute, now Kettering University, where she worked at a Pontiac plant. |
| Walking the streets of Flint, Michigan - the home of Kettering - it's easy to see why Ms Barra was drawn to the car industry. | Walking the streets of Flint, Michigan - the home of Kettering - it's easy to see why Ms Barra was drawn to the car industry. |
| With streets like Chevrolet Avenue, it's hard to think of anything else but cars. | With streets like Chevrolet Avenue, it's hard to think of anything else but cars. |
| Professor Mohammed Torfeh taught Ms Barra's control system class in 1984, helping her learn how to design various aspects of cars, such as how to make windscreen wipers work. | Professor Mohammed Torfeh taught Ms Barra's control system class in 1984, helping her learn how to design various aspects of cars, such as how to make windscreen wipers work. |
| "I remember vividly even how she was holding her notepad - she was always holding it in her left hand," says Prof Torfeh. | "I remember vividly even how she was holding her notepad - she was always holding it in her left hand," says Prof Torfeh. |
| He says she was always the leader, taking charge of mostly-male groups, balancing her strong technical knowledge with her easy-going communication skills. | He says she was always the leader, taking charge of mostly-male groups, balancing her strong technical knowledge with her easy-going communication skills. |
| "You could see that she was a leader, even at that time - she was a superstar." | "You could see that she was a leader, even at that time - she was a superstar." |
| First in 60 years | First in 60 years |
| Ms Barra rose quickly through the ranks at GM after she attended Stanford Business School on a GM scholarship. | Ms Barra rose quickly through the ranks at GM after she attended Stanford Business School on a GM scholarship. |
| She managed the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, and then was promoted to vice president of global manufacturing engineering. | She managed the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, and then was promoted to vice president of global manufacturing engineering. |
| She then ran GM's human resources department before being appointed the company's head of product development by outgoing boss Dan Akerson in 2011. | She then ran GM's human resources department before being appointed the company's head of product development by outgoing boss Dan Akerson in 2011. |
| Unlike GM's past leaders, Ms Barra is an executive who has come up on the product side of things. | Unlike GM's past leaders, Ms Barra is an executive who has come up on the product side of things. |
| "In the last 60 years, all of [GM's] chief executives have come out of finance," says Guggenheim analyst John Casesa. | "In the last 60 years, all of [GM's] chief executives have come out of finance," says Guggenheim analyst John Casesa. |
| "This represents a big mindset change at GM - and I think her appointment promises to really change the company in a positive way." | "This represents a big mindset change at GM - and I think her appointment promises to really change the company in a positive way." |
| 'You better listen' | 'You better listen' |
| Ms Barra is married with two children, and she's been known to drive some of her company's more racy models during weekends at the track. | Ms Barra is married with two children, and she's been known to drive some of her company's more racy models during weekends at the track. |
| Her appointment as the head of GM doesn't come as a surprise to those who know her well. | |
| Kettering University president Robert McMahan Jr works with Ms Barra in her role on the university's board of trustees, and says she's always struck him as a "special leader". | Kettering University president Robert McMahan Jr works with Ms Barra in her role on the university's board of trustees, and says she's always struck him as a "special leader". |
| He remembers running into her at an airport in China last year, and was struck by how she took time to speak with his 16-year-old son. | He remembers running into her at an airport in China last year, and was struck by how she took time to speak with his 16-year-old son. |
| Afterwards, he says: "I turned to my son - I bet you a month's pay that you just met the next CEO of GM." | |
| Those who know her say Ms Barra is a skilled communicator who knows how to walk the line between technical prowess and approachability. | Those who know her say Ms Barra is a skilled communicator who knows how to walk the line between technical prowess and approachability. |
| "In meetings she listens when you talk," says Mr McMahan, who adds that this isn't just about ego flattery because "when she speaks, you better listen". | |
| 'She always delivered' | 'She always delivered' |
| Ms Barra will join the club as one of 23 women who now run Fortune 500 firms. | Ms Barra will join the club as one of 23 women who now run Fortune 500 firms. |
| She will be closely watched, especially as her appointment comes as GM has finally shrugged off the last of its partial ownership by the US government. | She will be closely watched, especially as her appointment comes as GM has finally shrugged off the last of its partial ownership by the US government. |
| The firm recently reported a surprise dip in sales, and its competitor Volkswagen has recently increased its market share in the increasingly important Chinese market. | The firm recently reported a surprise dip in sales, and its competitor Volkswagen has recently increased its market share in the increasingly important Chinese market. |
| Officials at GM say Ms Barra plans to visit all of the firm's many plants, in Latin America, Africa, and China, during her first few months in the job. | Officials at GM say Ms Barra plans to visit all of the firm's many plants, in Latin America, Africa, and China, during her first few months in the job. |
| The hope is that at the head of GM, she can continue to do what's she's done since she started with the firm aged 18. | The hope is that at the head of GM, she can continue to do what's she's done since she started with the firm aged 18. |
| "She always delivered," says Prof Torfeh. | "She always delivered," says Prof Torfeh. |