How Old Is Mary Barra?
Mary Teresa Barra was born on December 24, 1961. She is currently 62 years old. She comes from Royal Oak, Michigan, and has Finnish roots. Barra is the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of General Motors. She took over these roles in January 2014.
Being the first woman CEO of a leading automobile company’s “Big Three”, she made history. Barra worked her way up in General Motors. She was the executive vice president in charge of global product development and supply chain.
Early Life and Education
Mary Barra is the current Chair and CEO of General Motors. She was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan. Her background is deeply connected to Finnish culture. Both of her parents have Finnish roots, and her grandfather moved to the US from Finland.
Barra’s education journey is both impressive and diverse. She got a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the General Motors Institute. It’s now called Kettering University.
During her education, she showed her brilliance. She became part of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and the honor society IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu.
Her thirst for knowledge led her to earning a Master of Business Administration from Stanford. Stanford Graduate School of Business is a top place for business education. This degree gave her the mix of technical and business skills she uses today.
Career and Achievements
Mary Barra started at General Motors in 1980 as a co-op student. Over the years, she moved up through different jobs. She was the vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering. In that role, she made production more efficient with new strategies.
Barra also served as the vice president of Global Human Resources. She improved how employees were trained and how they felt about their work. In 2014, she became General Motors’ CEO, the first woman to lead a top car company.
As CEO, she brought in new ideas and technologies. This included making GM more focused on customer satisfaction. Barra led these changes with a special emphasis on new car technologies like electric cars and self-driving systems.
Her work as CEO led to many honors. Forbes named her one of the Most Powerful Women. Time Magazine included her in their list of the 100 Most Influential People. She’s respected not just at General Motors but also in the business world at large.
Barra’s expertise is admired by many. She’s on the board of directors for companies like the Walt Disney Company. Her work with the Detroit Economic Club shows her dedication to both business and the community.