Financier №1 (41) 2026

In late 2013, the largest American automaker, General Motors (GM), announced the appointment of Mary Barra as the company’s CEO. Since then, the conglomerate’s shares have more than doubled in value and outperformed the stock prices of most major competitors. What lies behind GM’s growth? We look at the decisions made by the first woman to hold the CEO position at this automotive giant.

Family Values

Mary Barra grew up in a suburb of Detroit - the heart of the US automotive industry. Her father spent 39 years at GM as a skilled parts stamper. Mary began her career at the company in 1980, combining work with studies, which the company partially funded. After graduating from university, Barra became a senior engineer and soon received a scholarship to attend Stanford Graduate School of Business. She completed her MBA in 1990 and has since held numerous leadership positions across GM’s divisions.

In 2013, Mary’s responsibilities expanded significantly. She took the role of Executive Vice President for Global Product Development, Purchasing, and Supply Chain. It was during this period that Mary Barra’s work drew public attention. At the end of 2013, Forbes named Barra one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.

The Price of Quality

Almost immediately after taking the CEO role in February 2014, Mary faced the families of people who had died in GM car crashes due to a critical ignition switch defect that prevented airbags from deploying. That year, the corporation recalled approximately 30 million vehicles worldwide for various defects. Under Barra, the policy of frequently downplaying or concealing safety issues at GM effectively became a thing of the past. Mary launched the Speak Up for Safety programme, which encourages employees to report any suspicions of vehicle safety defects.

Listening to the Market

In the mid‑2010s, demand for SUVs surged in the US market. GM did not miss this shift in consumer preferences. In 2018, the company announced it would discontinue production of six sedan models and suspend operations at five factories to expand the production of SUVs and electric vehicles.

This timely reorientation helped the company maintain a strong position in North America. In 2017, Ms Barra made the strategic decision to sell the Opel and Vauxhall brands, factories, and engineering centres, which had been generating multimillion‑dollar losses for several years. This move increased operating margin compared to pre‑2015 levels.

Towards the Future

Mary Barra’s name is also associated with the development of new segments at General Motors. In 2020, the CEO unveiled the Ultium modular platform for electric vehicles, which became the foundation for the rapid launch of dozens of different models. The Ultium technologies paid off: timely investments in EV platforms allowed GM to rank second after Tesla in terms of electric vehicle deliveries in the US by the end of 2023, with a 6.4 % market share. GM still holds the second place, having grown its share to 13.9 % in the first three quarters of 2025.

No More Crappy Cars!

Forbes quoted Mary Barra as saying “No More Crappy Cars”. This phrase seems to resonate with the 12‑year period during which Mary led General Motors. During this time, Barra not only resolved the company’s tarnished reputation following the late‑2000s bankruptcy, but also established herself as a visionary who anticipated several major trends in the US automotive world and launched new, technologically advanced models