General Motors CEO Mary Barra has been included in TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People for 2021.
Barra’s profile in this year’s 100 Most Influential People issue of TIME Magazine was written by former Intel CEO Ginni Rometty, who describes the 59-year-old as “the most authentic leader I know.” Rometty is the co-chair of the OneTen workplace diversity initiative, which GM joined as a founding member last December at the discretion of Barra.
Barra first joined GM when she was 18 as a line inspector and worked her way through the automaker’s executive ranks before she was named as the successor to former GM CEO Dan Akerson in late 2013. Barra remains one of only a handful of female leaders of a Fortune 500 company and the only female CEO of a major global automaker, which makes the Michigan native a “standout” in today’s business landscape, Rometty says.
Rometty also praised Barra for her efforts to help address the issue of climate change by investing billions in new battery-electric vehicle programs at GM.
“A staunch believer in the science of climate change, Barra spearheaded GM’s commitment to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2035 because, as she said, ‘it’s the right thing to do,'” Rometty wrote. “An agent of change, her power lies in empowering others.”
GM was also included on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential Companies this year, with Barra appearing on the cover of the magazine alongside the new GMC Hummer EV Pickup. TIME was impressed by the automaker’s recent $27 billion investment to bring 30 new EV models to market by 2025, although it acknowledged the automaker is still “playing serious catchup in the electric-vehicle game,” at the moment.
As we reported previously, Barra earned approximately $40.3 million in 2020, including her base salary, cash bonus payouts, gains from stock awards, benefits and perquisites, making her the second highest-earning CEO of an American company behind Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
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Comments
I imagine this article will gather a lot of comments for and against her. For me personally, I don’t see the influence. I see hype, but I don’t if that will translate to better cars. Ultium performance and sales will be a good litmus test.
she was able to influence some in congress to propose that $4k union-made ev tax credit boondoggle. that has to count for something.
I have a daughter in her senior year of engineering because of Mary Barra. She decided in high school that if a woman with an engineering degree could run a car company, then it was ok for other women to enter the field. Before that, she did not see the auto industry as a viable option since she saw a glass ceiling that was inpenetrable. There will be many opinions on the success or lack of success Mary has had. To our family, Mary is a rockstar as she inspired our daughter to seek out a dream.
she’ll never get a husband with that attitude!!! just kidding, good luck to her. hard to go wrong with an engineering degree.
Mary does have an undergrad in electrical engineering, but her post grads are in business and management. Nothing wrong with that… But it is worth noting. I hope your daughter continues to defy gender roles and helps develop technologies that people actually want. Hopefully as gender roles become less defined the token gender isn’t a issue, Just like males in nursing or teaching fields.
Electrical engineering? Maybe she ought to get off her keister and solve this thing. Just kidding.
Thank you for the compliment I love when people praise me and worship me at my feet. Tell your daughter I will give her a job together we can run this pig stye of a company into the ground.
Did Barra get the job because she is an engineer or because she is a woman? Are You still allowed to use that term?
Because she’s qualified!
Get off my nuts pig
Hell yeah! I think we know why she is where is. if you inclusive, then you aint losin, cuz it aint about makin money no more.
A better question would a man running GM get the same attention in the media?
It’s like riding a roller coaster, from Bolt fires to this. Whee.
Wonder if China owns Time magazine.
Barra is outsourcing American plants two or three at a time.
You can see the results with most of her plants closed due to the (outsourced) chip shortages.
China must love her as she is bleeding America dry.
Standards must be dropping
Probably for single handedly trying to ruin a once good company.
Mary Barra allowed this Microchip shortage to happen. Build those Damn CHIPS here. If you need it here build it here. ! That is across the board. ALL vehicles.
What has this person really done? I mean, just sit back and ask yourself that. Really, just think for just a tenth of a tenth of tenth of second and ask yourself that. And really, what does time have to do with anything anymore?
Time is a liberal rag
😂🤣. And yet Trump accepted a Person of the Year award from them.
Quite foolish of you to make such a comment.
Trump lost get over it pig. Stop obsessing over a man who has been out of office for 9 months now.
There are plenty of women engineers. Check out United Technologies.
She’s certainly proven to be just as incompetent as the male CEO’s before her.
I put Time Magazine right up there with Consumer Reports.
I put Time Magazine right there with toilet paper.
Hitler was influential too.