GM announces Mary Barra as new Chairman

The board of directors of General Motors (GM) has unanimously elected Mary Barra as its next chairman, effective immediately. Barra has served as GM's CEO since January 15, 2014 and succeeds Theodore (Tim) Solso, who will continue serving as the board’s lead independent director.

Prior to being named CEO in 2014, Barra served as executive vice president - global product development, purchasing & supply chain since August 2013, and as senior vice president, global product development since February 2011. In these roles, she was responsible for the design, engineering, program management and quality of GM vehicles around the world.

As recently as November 2015, Barra was in India with a 20-member team including top executives of the company to review the progress of the company's revival plan. GM will be introducing more models in India (including the Spin MPV), while focusing on its strength as an exporter to cut its losses.