Barra was born in 1961 inRoyal Oak, Michigan, to parentsof Finnish descent.[6][7] Her grandfather, Viktor Mäkelä, moved to the United States and married Maria Luoma, a Finnish immigrant fromTeuva. They lived inMountain Iron, Minnesota, and had two children, including a son named Reino, called Ray, Barra's father, who married a second-generation Finnish American named Eva Pyykkönen, her mother.[citation needed]
Barra started working for General Motors in 1980 as aco-op student when she was 18 years old.[12] Her job was checking fender panels and inspecting hoods, and she used this job to pay for her college tuition.[13] She subsequently held a variety of engineering and administrative positions, including managing theDetroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant.[11]
In February 2008, she became vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering. In July 2009, she advanced to the position of vice president of Global Human Resources, which she held until February 2011 when she was named executive vice president of Global Product Development.[11][14] The latter position included responsibilities for design; she worked to reduce the number ofautomobile platforms inGM.[3] In August 2013, her vice president responsibility was extended to include Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.[15]
When Barra took over as chief executive of General Motors in January 2014, she became the first female head of an automobile manufacturer.[16]
During her first year as CEO, General Motors issued 84safety recalls involving over 30 million cars.[17] Barra was called before the Senate to testify about the recalls and deaths attributed to the faulty ignition switch.[18] Barra and General Motors also came under suspicion of paying for awards to burnish the CEO and corporation's image during that time.[19] The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture.[20]
As CEO, Barra directed GM's move intodriverless andelectric-powered cars through acquisitions including Strobe, a startup in driverless technology.[21]
In 2017, Barra was the highest-paidDetroit Three executive, with a total remuneration of $21.96 million.[22] In November 2018, Barra announced the closure of five North American plants and 14,000 workerlayoffs.[23] Her decision was criticized by PresidentDonald Trump, who threatened to remove the company's government subsidies in response.[23]
In response to a shareholder question in June 2022 question about reinstatingdividends at GM, Barra said the company has a "clear priority" to "accelerate our EV plans" and to solely offer EVs by 2035.[24]
Boards and councils
Barra was aGeneral Dynamics board of directors member. She serves on the board of directors of the Detroit Economic Club and Detroit Country Day School.[25][26][27] She is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council, and theDuke University Board of Trustees.[28][29]
In August 2017, she was elected to the board ofDisney.[30][31][32] She was the 12th person elected to this board, and the fourth woman.[33]
Barra was ranked first inFortune's Most Powerful Women list in 2015, up from second the year before.[39]
She remained in the number one spot inFortune's Most Powerful Women of 2017[40] and Number 5 onForbes's World's 100 Most Powerful Women List in the same year.[41]
In December 2016, Barra joined a business forum assembled by then President-electDonald Trump to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues.[43] However, she left the forum in 2017, following Trump's response to theCharlottesville protests.
Barra was honored at the 2023 Arthur W. Page Center Awards[44] where she received a Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication.
Barra was elected to theNational Academy of Engineering in February 2018.[45][46] In September 2018, Barra was awarded the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute's Legend in Leadership Award.[47]
InInstitutional Investor's yearly survey of top executives, the 2019 All-America Executive Team, Barra achieved the first place in the autos and auto parts sector.[48]
Barra was selected for the inaugural 2021Forbes 50 Over 50, made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50.[49] In 2021, she was included in theTime 100.[50]
In October 2024, Barra was named the most powerful woman in business byFortune in its annual ranking of the top 100 women in business.[54] In May 2025, Barra once again toppedFortune's list as the most powerful woman in business.[55] This was her 5th time at the top of the list as CEO of General Motors.[56]
^Gross, Elana Lyn; Voytko, Lisette; McGrath, Maggie (June 2, 2021)."The New Golden Age".Forbes.Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. RetrievedJune 2, 2021.
