As Dan Akerson prepares to step down as the as the chairman and CEO of General Motors on Jan. 15, 2014, the Board of Directors announced they’ve elected Mary Barra, current executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, to be replace him.
Akerson, 65, had to leave his post as GM’s boss several months early after his wife was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer. So it’s not really a happy retirement for good old Dan.
Barra, 51, will become the first female CEO in the global auto industry. She has been with GM for 33 years, and is a vital part of the company’s ongoing turnaround, revitalizing GM’s product development process resulting in the launch of critically acclaimed new products while delivering record product quality ratings and higher customer satisfaction.
The Board also named Theodore (Tim) Solso to succeed Akerson as Chairman, while appointed Mark Reuss, 50, executive vice president and president, North America, as Barra’s replacement.
In other notable changes, Dan Ammann, 41, executive vice president and chief financial officer, was named company president and will assume responsibility for managing the company’s regional operations around the world, and Alan Batey, currently senior vice president, Global Chevrolet and U.S. Sales and Marketing, was elected to replace Reuss.
