General Motors CEO Dan Akerson plans to retire, and the automaker will appoint Mary Barra as his successor.
Barra, GM’s senior vice president for product development, will become the first female CEO of a major automaker.
Her appointment makes the 51-year-old executive — a GM insider who joined the company in 1980 and earned the respect of her peers after handling a wide variety of posts — one of the most powerful women in the world.
“With an amazing portfolio of cars and trucks and the strongest financial performance in our recent history, this is an exciting time at today’s GM,” Barra said in a statement. “I’m honored to lead the best team in the business and to keep our momentum at full speed.”. . .