Mary Barra Biography
Mary Barra is an American businesswoman who has served as the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors. She is the first female CEO of one of the “Big Three” automobile manufacturers. GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as CEO in December 2013. Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain prior to being named CEO.
How old is Mary Barra? – Age
She is 60 years old as of 24 December 2021. She was born in 1961 in Waterford, Michigan, United States.
Mary Barra Family
Barra was born in Finland to Finnish parents. Viktor Mäkelä, her grandpa, immigrated to the United States and married Maria Luoma, a Finnish immigrant from Teuva. They had three children, including a boy named Reino, who was known as Ray, and they lived in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. Barra’s father, Ray, married Eva Pyykkönen, a second-generation Finnish American, and Mary was born in 1961.
Mary Barra Education
In 1985, Barra received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the General Motors Institute. While at Kettering University, Barra was inducted into the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu honor society. She then received a GM fellowship to attend Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she earned her master’s degree in business administration in 1990.
Is Mary Barra Married? – Husband
Barra is married to Tony Barra, a consultant she met while attending Kettering University, and they have two children and two dogs. They live in Northville, a Detroit suburb. She also has a downtown Detroit apartment.
Mary Barra House
Barra and her family live in Northville, Michigan.
What kind of Car does Mary Barra drive?
Barra has two cars, a Chevrolet Camaro and a Pontiac Firebird.
Mary Barra General Motors
Barra began working at GM as a co-op student in 1980 when she was 18 years old. Her employment entailed verifying fender panels and inspecting hoods, and she used the money she earned to pay for college. She went on to work in a number of engineering and administrative jobs, including overseeing the assembly facility in Detroit/Hamtramck.
She was named vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering in February 2008. She was promoted to vice president of global human resources in July 2009, a post she maintained until February 2011, when she was promoted to executive vice president of Global Product Development. She worked to reduce the number of automobile platforms in GM while in the latter position, which included design responsibilities. Her vice president responsibilities were expanded in August 2013 to encompass Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.
In January 2014, when Barra became the first female CEO of a major automaker, she made history as the first female CEO of a major automaker. GM conducted 84 safety recalls affecting over 30 million vehicles during her first year as CEO. Barra was called before the Senate to testify regarding the ignition switch recalls and deaths linked to it. During that time, Barra and GM were also accused of paying for prizes to boost the CEO’s and company’s public image. As a result of the recalls, new procedures were created urging employees to report any concerns they observe in an attempt to transform the business culture.
As CEO, Barra oversaw GM’s journey into autonomous and electric vehicles, including the acquisition of Strobe, a driverless technology startup. In 2017, General Motors began selling the Chevy Bolt EV, beating Tesla to the first electric car under $40,000 with a 200-mile range.
Barra was the highest-paid Detroit Three executive in 2017, earning a total of $21.96 million. Barra announced the closure of five North American operations and the layoff of 14,000 employees in November 2018. President Donald Trump slammed her decision, threatening to slash the company’s federal subsidies as a result.
How Much Did the CEO – Mary Barra – of GM Make Last Year (2020)?
Barra earned moreover $20 million in total salary in 2019. She had surpassed that mark for the third year in a row. Mary’s total compensation for the year was $40.3 million in 2020.
Mary Barra Net Worth
Barra has an estimated net worth of $194 million.