Mary Barra '85
Mary Barra ’85, Senior Vice President of Global Product Development at General Motors, was recently featured in Detroit Business as one of eight influential female business leaders. From the story:
If Mary Barra felt pressure and scrutiny after being named General Motors Co.’s senior vice president of global product development in early 2011, she didn’t show it. She followed two legends: Tom Stephens, who held the position for two years, and Bob Lutz, who wrenched product design out of the hands of engineers. “I worked with Bob for years and have tremendous respect for him,” Barra says. “He did an excellent job of creating a culture and structuring global product development to be a design-focused organization, and I’m building on that. I still periodically talk to Bob, and he is incredibly supportive. I see it as a continuation, taking it to the next level.” The playing conditions in the auto industry are evolving, she adds, “so we have to stay attuned to what is changing. Right now (we are) continuing to enable great design and driving customer focus into the organization, down to every engineer, so they have a really good understanding of who the customers are for specific vehicle segments and brands.”
