Mary Barra is leading the way in the automotive industry in the 21^st Century.

Not only is Barra taking charge and shaping the future of automotive manufacturing, she made history when reaching the top of an industry which has historically been dominated by men. Barra has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Motors since 2014, becoming the first female CEO of a big three global automaker.

Under Barra’s leadership, GM has invested heavily in electric vehicles, software-defined vehicles, and autonomous-driving technologies. She is at the forefront of GM’s strategic vision of “zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion,” the defining themes of her tenure.

Barra was influenced by her father who worked in the car industry for nearly 40 years. She embarked on her GM career in 1980 at age 18, inspecting hoods and fenders at a Pontiac plant. The job was part of a co-op program that helped pay for her electrical engineering degree she earned at General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1985. She earned an MBA from Stanford University in 1990.

Officially inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame for her contributions in 2023, Barra believes consumers can expect even more technologically-driven vehicles in the coming years: “Our vision is to create a car of the future that knows you, that learns you, that looks out for you and anticipates your needs even before you say them.”