Viktor Mkel, her grandpa, immigrated to the United States and married Maria Luoma, a Finnish immigrant from Teuva. Her responsibility as a Vice President was extended to include Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. In 2014, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Michigan after giving the inaugural address at the beginning of spring for her campus in Ann Arbor at the Michigan Stadium. [15], When Barra took over as chief executive of General Motors in January 2014, she became the first female head of an automobile manufacturer. As empty nesters, Barra and her husbandshare their Northville Township home withtwoCoton de Tular dogs namedMarcyand Hunter, Barra said. In December 2016, Mary joined a business forum assembled by then President-Elect Donald Trump to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues. He always has a camera ready to capture the candid moments and has taught our children the importance of integrity and commitment. Born in Michigan, United States, Mary Barra is best known for being a business executive. We benefited from the senior leadership team debating it, testing it and bringing their experiences. Sheis in good health. ", More: GM just became only automaker with board of directors that's majority women. Yet she can recall the pivotalmoment when she recognized that driver-assisted technology had evolved enough to sparkan epiphany:GM would need to reinvent itself to last another 100 years. And GM has said Ultium will allow it to build a variety of EVsmore cheaply, which Barra said is crucial to GM succeeding as an EV player. [22] In November 2018, Barra announced the closure of five North American plants and 14,000 worker lay offs. Mary was born in 1961, and Barra's father, Ray, wed Eva Pyykknen, a second-generation Finnish American. Therefore, she earns a decent income. [19] The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture. Toyota outsold GM againin the first quarterthis year. The UAW ordered a six-week strike against GM in 2019 after Barra said GM wouldshut downfourU.S. factories. SoHenige set upa "war room"to manage the news and waited. This story has been updated to stateBarra's first job was at the Pontiac Motor Division in Pontiac and to clarify that Cruise is the first company to have a self-driving taxi in a major city. Mary Barra's Husband Mary married Anthony E. Barra, whom she met during her Kettering University days. Acutely aware that GM hasnot yet executed her full vision ofhaving every vehicle GM makes be electricby 2035, Barra strivesto become a wiser leaderand achieve goals faster. But aCEOjob can, in many cases,be short-lived. Barra also manages thetens of billions of dollars GM invests to build or upgradeits factories around the world. Her decision was criticized by President Donald Trump, who threatened to remove the companys government subsidies in response. In 2017, their average vehicle sales price reached a record high of $36,000. She has been credited withcreatingamore nimble, less bureaucratic company that's better positioned tocompetewithEVstartups. [13] She subsequently held a variety of engineering and administrative positions, including managing the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant. She is genuine in her inability to choose one,then she finally picksthe 2022 GMCHummer EV pickup because "it's so fun. Barra was born on Christmas Eve in 1961 as the daughter of Ray and Eva Makela in Royal Oak, Michigan. August 14, 2021. He's a retired consultant and their childrenRachel Barra, 23, andNicholas Barra, 25 both graduated from Duke University andlive out of state. Who Is Mary Barra's Husband? She had surpassed that mark for the third year in a row. Bestowed with numerous honors and titles, such as Times 100 Most Influential People in the World and many moreshe has undoubtedly made a significant impact in the General Motors Company. Its speed. Lutz remembers her in some meetings. She went on to work in a number of engineering and administrative jobs, including overseeing the assembly facility in Detroit/Hamtramck. She's always articulate untilyou ask what her favorite vehicle is in GM's lineup. Names New Leader for Global Development", Rebuilding a Giant: Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors, "General Motors (GM): Safety Recalls Add Up to 84 in 2014", "Is General Motors buying awards for Mary Barra? But there's one book she regularly pulls off her shelf: Bob Iger's "Ride of a Lifetime:Lessons learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. While she is a well-known public figure, many people are curious about her personal life, particularly her husband, Anthony E. Barra. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Barratries to takemostSaturdays off to recharge, and her favorite way to do that is with"retail therapy" atNordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue department stores. Mckpage.com is your number-one portal for Ghanaian-related information, we provide News, and information on People and Education. Change under Barra isevidentto longtime GM insiders such as U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell,D-Dearborn, who said GM's transformation started the day it chosea woman as CEO. Shes like my yay/nay occasionally shops with me," Barra said of her daughter. [6][7] Her grandfather, Viktor Mkel, moved to the US and married Maria Luoma, a Finnish immigrant from Teuva. Mary Barra's bio: She received her M.B.A. in the 1990s. While at Kettering University, Barra was inducted into the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu honor society. Continue with Recommended Cookies. General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, right, listens to researcher Hernando Gonzalez speak about what he does while working in the materials lab at the Research and Development building of the GM Global Technical Center campus in Warren on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, during a photo op following an interview with the Detroit Free Press. After graduating from Waterford Mott High School, she took a job in the automotive industry to pay for college tuition. Dingellworked at GM from1976 to August 2009 and has known Barra for many years. It was the most exciting and exhilaratingday for us becausesocial media went crazy. Shenearly comes to a standstill in her walk. So with all that speed, how did that happen?. Marys grandparents lived in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, and had three children including her father. They are proud parents of two children, Nicholas, and Rachel Barra. In 2008, she was named Vice President of Global Manufacturing Engineering and the following year, Vice President of Global Human Resources. They have a daughter, Rachel Barra, and a son named Nicholas Barra. In an interview with Fortune, Mary Barra credited her husband for being her biggest supporter and helping her balance her personal and professional life. But Barra was different. [2] She is the first female CEO of a 'Big Three' automaker. When shestarts talking family,her voice andbody language shift. The couple met while studying at Kettering University. She quickly disarms them with light conversation. Anthony's wife was elected Chairman of the GM Board of Directors on January 4, 2016, and has served as CEO of GM since January 15, 2014. Mary was inducted into the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and the honor society IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu while at Kettering University. She wants to continue to create a corporateculture where GM employees can find a work-life balance like she did. Mary Barra, born Makela, is the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Company since 2014. Although GM is rolling out its new EVs behind those ofFord Motor Co., the GM-owned Cruise won approval Thursday to launcha commercial fleet of all electric completely self-driving taxis in San Francisco. Here is a look at the real woman leading the world's largest automaker into a totally new future. It is no surprise though, as the smart lady has made a name for herself in the automotive industry through hard work and determination. She is 60 years old as of 24 December 2021. After hiring a former U.S. attorney to . So would Barra as she ponders GM's speed to market. Marry Barra met her husband, Tony Barra, while the pair were studying together at university. Her dedication towards her family has not had an adverse effect on her career; instead, it has reached newer heights with every passing day. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. "Thats when it kind of stretches into a 12-hour day.. To avoid that happening again, GM plans tobuild every part of its EVs, including the battery cells and manufacturing of the battery packs, onitsUltium platform. Still, he, too, would "like to see more battery electric vehiclesfrom GM already out.". General Motors CEO Mary Barra will become the first-ever female chair of the Business Roundtable, a powerful CEO alliance, beginning in January.. Barra said her election is an honor, and she . 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. As CEO, Barra oversaw GMs journey into autonomous and electric vehicles, including the acquisition of Strobe, a driverless technology startup. Follow me on all social media platforms. They lived in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. Fortune magazine did a 2019article on "How leather jackets became the new power blazer" and creditedBarra for introducing the look, wearing it toshareholder meetings, media interviews and a host of other events. She is not an only child, as she has a brother named Paul Makela. By Musa Nadir Tochukwu Sani. Acquires Strobe, Start-Up Focused on Driverless Technology", "GM paid CEO Mary Barra nearly $22M in 2017", "GM to halt production at several plants, cut more than 14,000 jobs", "GM's stock closes below IPO price for first time since October 2020", "Dykema Chairman and CEO Peter Kellett Elected to the Detroit Economic Club Board of Directors", "Detroit Country Day School announces new trustees, including GM CEO Mary Barra", "GM CEO Mary Barra joins Detroit Country Day School Board of Trustees", "GM CEO Barra joins Stanford University board", "General Motors Chairman Mary T. Barra Joins Disney Board of Directors", "GM CEO Mary Barra Joins Disney's Board Amid Successor Search", "Disney Adds General Motors CEO to Board of Directors", "Mary Barra: Five Lessons From The Kitchen Table", "Mary Barra: The World's 100 Most Influential People", "Trump is forming an economic advisory team with the CEOs of Disney, General Motors, JPMorgan, and more", "National Academy of Engineering Elects 83 Members and 16 Foreign Members", "Chief Executive Leadership Institute Honors Mary T. Barra with Legend in Leadership Award", "These Are America's Top Executives Jamie Dimon, Tim Cook, and Mary Barra are among members of II's 2019 All-America Executive Team", "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on Time's "100 Most Influential People" list", "Longtime Insider Is GM's First Female CEO", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Barra&oldid=1152388749, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 23:29. Henige retired from a 29-year career atGM in 2015, last serving as communications director for the Global Connected Customer Experience. She is a woman of average stature and stands at a height of 5 ft 5 in (Approx. Mary was also listed number one in Fortunes Most Powerful Women list in 2015. The two went out to dinner to celebrate alone since the news would not be given to the rest of the world for a few days. She serves on the board of directors of the Detroit Economic Club and Detroit Country Day School. Barra, who had been mentallypreparing for how she would lead if she got the job, had learned the news just days prior and was reeling. Mary Barra Net Worth . Who Is Mary Barra? But it hit the rest of the world. Likewise, Fordhad the Mustang Mach-E out well before GM brought out the 2022 GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq SUV, which is in production now. Type above and press Enter to search. [3] On Jan. 4, 2016, she became GM's chair too. Every now and then, I take the book out and I reread them., The lessons that resonate most, she said, arethe power of the team and"what people will do if they understand what you want to do and you empower them. ", "Everyone knew if you talked to Aunt Eva, you were going to be told, 'You have to go to college,' " Barra said. It was an observation Barra'smentors noted too. She is also a member of the Business Council and a member of the At-Large Board of the Business Roundtable, where she also serves on the Social Committee. Happy Fathers Day, Tony!. Within threehours, Mary Barra was trending globally.". She worked to reduce the number of automobile platforms in GM while in the latter position, which included design responsibilities. Profiles. GM had to recall2.6 millionsmall carsbecause of a defectiveignition switchthat could shut off the engine while a carwas moving. Mary's estimated net worth is $60 million. GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as CEO in December 2013. President Donald Trump slammed her decision, threatening to slash the companys federal subsidies as a result. [37], She remained in the number one spot in Fortune's Most Powerful Women of 2017[38] and Number 5 on Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women List in the same year. Born on 24 December 1961, she is the daughter of mother Eva Makela and father, Ray Makela. Bob Lutz, 90, who retired as GM's vice chairman in 2010,said he first met Barra in the early 2000s. Twitter: @BiographyScoop With her husband, she has two children. She made clear decisions too.. Marry Barra has a net worth of $70 million as of June 2022. "I do it.. ", General Motors CEO Mary Barra through the years. "For a second, it was silent," Henige said of the war room. GMspokesman PatMorrissey said it is not a topicBarrawould discuss publicly. Marys parents are of Finnish descent. Then we validated it.". We meet on a regular basis and we know how to connect with each other any time if necessary. To manage the pressure, Barrarelies on family,free time and books. Mary Barrapowerwalks down along corridor inthe Research and Development building at General Motors'Global Technical Centerin Warren. In her view, the G.M. Together, they share two children Rachel and Nicholas. Barras father, Ray, married Eva Pyykknen, a second-generation Finnish American, and Mary was born in 1961. She then received a GM fellowship to attend Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she earned her masters degree in business administration in 1990. As the Free Press reportedearlier,Barra and Gamble did improve their relationship before he retired in June 2021. Her favorite cars are Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. Mary Barra, Anthony E. Barra, and their children live a happy family life in Northville, in Detroit suburbs. Updated On April 19, 2023 0. She traced her ancestors to the village of Kankaanp, in Satakunta province in Finland, from the former municipality of Kyli. Together they are the proud parents to two teenage children, one boy and a girl, Rachel and Nicholas. She was plant manager of Detroit Hamtramck Assembly plant in 2003, now called Factory Zero. This resilient General Motors profit could only be possible with Mary Barras unwavering support and leadership. Required fields are marked *, Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance, Don't forget to check the Photo Gallery & Video. "Thiswas a great sign of hope. In July 2009, she advanced to the position of vice president of global human resources, which she held until February 2011, when she was named executive vice president of Global Product Development. [11][14] The latter position included responsibilities for design; she worked to reduce the number of automobile platforms in GM. On January 4, 2014, Mary was elected Chairman of the Board of General Motors. GM conducted 84 safety recalls affecting over 30 million vehicles during her first year as CEO. She leans back, relaxes,there's more laughter,and suddenly, the CEO has left the room. Mary Barra Husband Anthony E. Barra is an engineering consultant by profession. She was featured on the cover of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world issue in 2014. Net Worth $60 Million. One example of how she cut through amassive machine's lack of focus and direction was byfamously simplifyingGM's multipagedress code to two words: Dress Appropriately. Barra graduated from the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1985, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Her father also hadworked there as a diemakerfor 40 years. GM paid $120 million to settle claims from dozens of states and it paid penalties and settlements ofan estimated $2.5 billion, including $900 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice criminal case. She remains the only one doing ittoday. She is also the member of General Dynamics Board of Directors and the B.O.D of the Detriot Economic Club. We can all change our behavior. Divorce/Split Not Yet. Mary Teresa Barra, Chairman, and CEO of General Motors Company has achieved a lot in her career. READ MORE: Explore Controversial Beauty CEO Brandon Truaxe Wiki Facts. Marys total compensation for the year was $40.3 million in 2020. She is the CEO as well as the Chairwoman, which means she gets compensated handsomely for her duties. More: GM Silverado EV, Ford Lightning buyers might toss brand loyalty to get electric pickup, "Shes lost the public image battle. Anthony E. Barra met Mary Barra while they were both working at GM. Her gender means more eyes onher, magnifying hersuccesses and failures in an industry that remains male dominated. As for being called a visionary, Barra says, I think thats a big title," then she credits others. He did not reply to Free Press requests for commentfor this article. Mary Barra has been successfully married to consultant Anthony E. Barra aka Tony Barra. Mary is the first female CEO of a major global automaker. If a new lightbulb is installed in an office at Ford, Ford somehow gets credit for its electrification efforts," Gordon said. After becoming the first female CEO of a major global automaker, she earned a whopping salary of $22.6 million in the year 2016. [9] Barra was inducted into the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi[10] (MI Zeta class of 1985) and the honor society IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (Theta Epsilon chapter 1983) while at Kettering University. As a successful engineer and executive in the automotive industry, he has made significant contributions to companies like GM. Mary and Tony have two children and two dogs and live in Northville, Detroit. I think we looked over the horizon to see there was technology-enabling-change and we wanted to lead it. 'You had blindsided him,' Dingell said she told Barra. 's New Chief, Speaking Her Mind", "GM CEO Mary Barra says too many women quit their jobs for the wrong reason", "G.M. "She handled it in a way that signaled that GM is going to be different under the new CEO," saidErik Gordon, business professor at Ross School of Business at University of Michigan. They never sawher become CEO. Both are involved in some humanitarian work. Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain prior to being named CEO. Tony works as a consultant. Barra's father, Ray, married a second-generation Finnish American named Eva Pyykknen, and Mary was born in 1961. She is a globetrotter who wants to see the change the world deserves. When she started at GM, Barra'scompetence was apparent,but her confidence was not, said somewho watched her come up the ranks. She can speak a little Finnish. She exudes a sense of quiet confidence that makes you want to trust and admire her. Enjoy reading!! She gave me an A.". GM's expansion back into Europe makes sense. [17] Barra was called before the Senate to testify about the recalls and deaths attributed to the faulty ignition switch. Barra was born in Royal Oak, Michigan to parents of Finnish descent. Despite both being successful in their respective careers, Mary Barra and Anthony E. Barra have managed to maintain a strong and supportive relationship. She currently owns over 39,095 shares of General Motors valued at $42,063,158, in addition to the $21,958,000 she earns as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. While not much is known about Anthony E. Barra's personal life, it is believed that he enjoys spending time with his family and participating in outdoor activities such as skiing and hiking. General Motors CEO Mary Barra testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 1, 2014, before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. She serves as the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors. In December 2013, GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as CEO. Business leaders and movie stars, such as Bette Midler, were tweeting about GM's new female CEO, Henige recalled. Together with Mckpage.com team, we serve our readers with accurate information about the Ghananian education space and more. Shewas listed as one of the world's most powerful women by the business magazine,Forbes, in 2016. [11], In February 2008, she became vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering. [3] Prior to being named CEO, Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain.[3][4]. Make sure your voice is heard. Barra was born in Finland to Finnish parents. Marry is married to a consultant Tony Barra. Ryan Seacrest Girlfriend: Does Ryan Seacrest have a wife? "I was sexually harassed, really bad. She spent her childhood in Waterford, Michigan. Barra's father, Ray Makela, grew up in northern Minnesotaand earned a Gold Star and a Purple Heart serving in World War II, Barra said. Through hard work and determination, her rise began. Mary Barra and her husband Tony Barra has two children, their daughter Rachel Barra and son Nicholas Barra.