mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

General Motors CFO Dhivya Suryadevara Recognized As A ‘Woman Leader To Watch’

General Motors Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara didn’t get a spot on Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women of 2018 list, but she was recognized by the American business magazine nonetheless, earning a place on a list of ten powerful women leaders to watch. She shares that honor with the likes of Jetblack CoFounder and CEO Jenny Fleiss, Siemens U.S. CEO Barbara Humpton, and General Electric Executive VP and CFO Jamie Miller.

Dhivya Suryadevara’s boss, General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra, garnered the number two spot on Fortune‘s list of the Most Powerful Women of 2018, and the magazine says that GM is one of just two Fortune 500 companies with an “all-woman CEO-CFO team”.

Suryadevara, 39, was made General Motors CFO last month after the announcement of Chuck Stevens’ planned retirement. A 40-year GM veteran, Stevens is staying on as an advisor until his departure in April, 2019.

Suryadevara joined General Motors in 2005, with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Commerce from the University of Madras in Chennai, India, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She’s served in numerous financial positions with the company, including CEO and Chief Investment Officer for GM Asset Management from 2013 to 2017, and GM Vice President, Finance and Treasurer from 2015 to 2017. She had a key part in facilitating GM’s divestiture of European automotive brand Opel, and in the automaker’s acquisition of Cruise Automation.

“Dhivya’s experience and leadership in several key roles throughout our financial operations positions her well to build on the strong business results we’ve delivered over the last several years,” GM CEO Mary Barra said on the occasion of Suryadevara’s appointment as General Motors CFO.

Barra herself is no stranger to Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women list, having been ranked first for three straight years from 2015 to 2017. This year, she’s slipped back to second as Lockheed Martin Chairman, CEO, and President Marillyn Hewson takes the top-most spot.

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. Ahhhh! Those bedroom eyes make my knees weak.

    Reply
    1. I always wonder why if women are “so strong and super duper amazing leaders” then why do two-bit MALE bloggers need to treat them as a protected species that is incapable of proving themselves directly through their actions and achievements, and instead need to write article after article in “support” of these women?

      I am sure these “powerful business women” don’t care for a bunch lower-level, minimally educated bloggers defending them at every turn. I am sure they can on their own two feet.

      Reply
  2. Lately GM disappoints me not only with the way they run the business, but also with the product. I’m no sexist, but do not think that a car/truck company should be run by women! It’s same as if a men would design tampoons and pads for women. If GM is trying to state a political statement and side with feminists then I should part with GM!

    Reply
    1. You’re a sexist misogynistic PIG! Which century do you think you live in?

      Reply
      1. Read my post you dumb POS!!! Like I said I’m not sexiest and not prejedist against women! Women have better values then men! But we’re not equal!
        No matter the century, women are still women and men are men! There is no discrimination in this!
        Or your referring that women evolved into men???

        This has nothing to do with misogyny, sexiest. Etc.
        that’s why organizations like olympics have men teams and women teams, or you think that they are sexist too??

        Comparing women to men is like comparing a sports car to a truck, they are equally good, but not equal! You wouldn’t drive your sports car off road you misogynistic PIG!!

        Reply
        1. decalan,
          Your comments are so backward and ignorant, I shouldn’t even take the time to respond. I’m not sure where you live but for the country as a whole, this is false. The best companies are equal opportunity employers and don’t discriminate based on gender or race.

          I’m a marketing executive and the last study I looked at confirmed that women are actively involved in the purchasing decision of a vehicle for a household. In fact, they are the most influential decision maker. Not for every household and it may differ some in agricultural areas. In an urban environment, the women definitely plays a major role. The most successful automakers really take this into account in design and in the ownership experience.

          Reply
          1. No where I said that GM shouldn’t employ women. Im just concerned that GM sank into this “feminist” movement that actually turns everything upside down! I’m all about equal opportunity, but obviously something doesn’t add up here. Just look at the recently released and future GM products and you disappointed with a lot of designs, features, performance, and higher then competitive prices, then you start wondering what’s going on and who makes this decisions.

            Reply
          2. Oh and I’m sorry that your wife chooses what you have to drive! I bet you drive a Prius! I’d recommend for you to grow a pair but really doubt it could happen.

            Reply
            1. Decalan – pozhaluysta, ostav’te (please leave, in Roosky, so that the bot can understand)

              Reply
              1. What???

                Reply
    2. “I’m no sexist, but do not think that a car/truck company should be run by women! It’s same as if a men would design tampoons and pads for women.”

      You’d have a case if cars and trucks were used exclusively be men, but as it happens, both men AND women drive cars and trucks….at least here is the always better Western world.

      You’re not from Saudi Arabia are you; foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of a woman driving a car?

      Reply
    3. decalan,
      you must be an 80yr knuckle dragger, living in butt fuçk usa, just waking-up from a 40 yr coma…Lol

      Once you discover the real world, you may notice men working in fashion, women working in mining, in the armed forces… Regardless of what between your legs, let the best person for the job do the job. End of story.

      Reply
      1. I’ve you’d understand what I said, you would say what you said! You should really consider quitting meth!

        Reply
    4. You are literal cancer, my guy.

      Reply
  3. LOL GM becomes ladies company

    Reply
  4. You got that all wrong!

    Yes cars are being used by both men and women, but what is the percentage of car enthusiasts from women and what’s from men? Trucks are the most selling cars in the US and are mostly bought by men!
    Trucks are also a tool to get the job done (which again mostly men). Most women need a car to get them from point A to point B and most don’t care for a brand as long as suits them well. With that being said, don’t you want your tool to be made by someone who knows your job? Sales prove this! Even Ram outsold the Silverado for entire quarter because guys don’t want a goofy looking truck that has less options and costs more the competition!

    And women can and should hold high positions at so many other industries that they are much better at!

    Reply
    1. “but what is the percentage of car enthusiasts from women and what’s from men? ”

      Car enthusiasts don’t make up the overwhelming majority of the car buying public. They only matter when they have the money to pay, not because they’re wistful or how emotionally attached they are to their Charger SRT.

      The public that buys Camry’s, CRV’s, Equinox’s; these people are the majority, AND they have the greatest collective bloc of buying power.

      I’ll let you guess what the gender split is for that, but where the money is is where the automakers go.

      Car enthusiasts (those with means that is) are a considerably smaller block of consumers, and their gender split is effectively meaningless.

      “Trucks are the most selling cars in the US and are mostly bought by men!”

      And outside of the US? What about China? The EU? BRICS? AU? Trucks aren’t that big a deal in these markets, and on top of that, you’ve conveniently forgot about red-hot crossover segment which are extremely popular everywhere, including the US.

      “With that being said, don’t you want your tool to be made by someone who knows your job?”

      Factory workers are not craftsmen, and low-skill assembly jobs are not in any way comparable to the skilled trades that serve the basis of an entire career.

      Besides, the engineers are the ones who designed the Silverado, not the line worker. Those engineers don’t know how to do my job, and conversely, you and I don’t know how to design an Silverado.

      Reply
  5. I’ll agree that auto enthusiasts are no near majority of people who buy cars, but there are a lot of people who do their research and buy a vehicle based off that. And from over a dozen of reviews that I’ve read/watched with the new Silverado, I highly doubt that it’ll be their first pick (loyalist are different story)

    The biggest money (in US) are trucks, ford and Ram are enjoying the fruit of that, while GM is not in a hurry, GM is not even competing with the likes of long horn, platinum, king ranch, limited, and Raptor and these trim levels bring the most money!

    When you look at EU, Russia, India, and other Eurasia markets, let’s it’s not going good for GM and Opel is somehow profitable now under PSA, GM is also struggling with AU and trying to find new identity. How’s that for brilliant management?

    I didn’t refer to factory men as craftmans, and it’s the designers to design the car not engineers. But if they are both truck users (not just drivers and men use their trucks much more then women) then they can create a class leading vehicle if the vehicle will get its approval from above.

    I’m a small business man who got carried away with business and didn’t go to college in order to in a design team. But cars are more then a hobby to me, I not only build cool trucks but do sketches, recently I’ve done 3 cool sketches of very modern trucks that look stunning! So please speak about your self that you can’t design a Silverado.

    Reply
    1. Don’t forget, Putin doesn’t pay these anti-American computer-jocks. He keeps “Decalan”’s mother or little sister in Siberian caves and only feeds them a few crumbs-per-word of fomenting Americans on websites. Think I’m joking?

      Reply
      1. Reply
      2. Old trombone
        Never heard of such a thing! I wonder how Putin could possibly benefit from this?

        Reply
    2. “I not only build cool trucks but do sketches, recently I’ve done 3 cool sketches of very modern trucks that look stunning! So please speak about your self that you can’t design a Silverado.”

      Architects can draw 3 buildings before noon, and they draw conceptual renderings to help shape a clients ideas.

      Do you use conte? Charcoal? India ink? Water colours? Do you use tonal grades in shading or do you just smear it paper towel? Did you clean up your ‘cool sketches’ in photoshop?

      So you’ve done some sketching. Big deal. Go to college and get into industrial design. Put your sketching talents to good use and blow away the industry with your designs.

      Reply
      1. Nothing so sophisticated. decalan uses what’s close and readily available. Lol

        Reply
        1. I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt, and encourage him to draw more and more. If he’s not aching to keep drawing after just 3 sketches, he might loose the interest in doing so, which would be a bigger loss.

          Reply
        2. Bill I can totally see that this is your native environment!

          Reply
  6. Men or women? Anyway, the peoples from GM’s management really are inept…

    Reply
  7. I don’t know what I’m shocked more about, decalan’s assertion that a Harvard MBA grad isn’t qualified to work at GM as a CFO because she is not a car enthusiast or that he is not alone in his thoughts based on the number of likes his posts have.

    Of course, we know Mark Reuss is a car enthusiast and claimed the Chevy Trax would not sell in the US market. And of course who could forget that corvette crash.

    So by decalan’s declaration, if your not really really into raw sewage, you shouldn’t work at a sewer treatment plant. Brilliant.

    Reply
    1. decalan has sewage right up to his nose. He’s choking on sewage fumes and methane. He’s more than qualified to continue to live in putrid sewers. That’s where he belongs. But he’s so full of it, he’s actually blocking the sewer.

      Reply
    2. “Decalan”’s likes are from his Rooskybot team’s hacking software. Either that or the tens of thousands of other Russian prisoners who have had forced-liking whippings.

      Reply
  8. Well, this is excellent news. In a GMA article about a successful woman in business helping Make America Great Again, we have only two negative commenters, and one of them is clearly a political operative on payments. Back in 2015, the balance was far worse. It appears that Trump really has had an effect on the respect held for professional women. As in, Trump has been so bloviated that many American men have changed their attitudes and now not only refuse to participate in misogyny, but also are ready to come out and write excellent support posts for these Women who want America to Win. As a diehard lefty, I have to admit that Hillary would not have raised the respect for women nearly as much.

    Now, if you want to have money in your pocket, lower overall taxes, and powerful control of bankers who rip off every one of us, then vote for Elizabeth Warren. “Decalan”’s intent is to make you constantly think of Hillary, the worst ever person to stand for President, and make you forget how many other women are out there that are excellent professional powerful America-boosters. Grow up, people, and start to think of Women who aren’t Hillary, because many of them will help us get out from under Putin, and his bankers that pay him all your money. If you haven’t read about the Panama Papaers, then as all your good rightwing friends yell so loudly, WAKE UP!

    Reply
  9. Interesting how y’all get pleasure by painting someone as misogynistic, sexiest etc. my only 2 points are 1. Is concerned that GM is soaked in “feminist” movement. And 2. Is that GM management is not up to par with competition.
    And he I’m getting accused of sexism and a Russian spy or whatever!!! Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves!!

    Reply
    1. BEWARE!!!!!

      decalan is a douchebag homosexual who sucks his own d!ck!!!!!!

      Reply
      1. Go f**k yourself!!

        Reply
        1. Pizza babies from Hawaiian drug tunnels – they’re the real threat to America, right “Decalan”?

          Reply
          1. Dude What are you smoking??????

            Reply
            1. decalan

              You shouldn’t despair. They have medication to restrain your compulsive masturbation disorder.

              Sorry to hear you were born without a nutsack.

              Reply
              1. No wonder he’s intimidated by powerful intelligent women…

                Reply
              2. You’re the whipped one! Say something original and not copy me what I told you!

                Reply
    2. Nope, not spy. You’re a paid or family-prisoned plant. Spy’s actually know what’s going on in the world.

      Reply
      1. I’m not familiar with what you are talking about, given the fact that you do, it must be a b^t*h to be a product of that!

        Reply
  10. WHO SAYS GM ISN’T #1 IN ANYTHING?

    GM named No. 1 company in world for gender equality

    https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2018/10/04/gm-study-gender-equality-company/1521497002/
    GM #1 COMPANY IN GENDER EQUALITY

    A new study from Equileap, a group that researches gender equality, says General Motors is the number one company in the world for gender equality. It looked at 3,000 companies in 23 countries and rated them based on 19 categories, including equal pay, gender equality in leadership and work flexibility. GM came out on top because it has a woman as CEO, Mary Barra, and at the time the study was conducted, it had an equal number of men and women on its board of directors. GM recently added another man to its board. But it also just named a woman as its Chief Financial Officer. GM is also number one because it doesn’t have a gender pay gap across the company and offers flexible work hours and locations. And speaking of women in the auto industry, be sure to watch yesterday’s Autoline After Hours with Chris Lezotte, who’s written a book about women who are enthusiasts of muscle cars.

    Reply
  11. Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel