Stanford Graduate School of Business (Stanford GSB) alumnus and General Motors CEO Mary Barra will deliver the school’s commencement address this June.
Barra (MBA ’90) has served as CEO of the company since January 2015, and she was recently named to GM’s Board of Directors. She also is a member of Stanford University’s Board of Trustees and the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. Fortune magazine ranked Mary Barra first on its “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list.
She has guided the company with a strategy that places the customer at the center of every business decision, and she has championed cutting-edge technologies for GM such as autonomous driving and electrification for the company’s vehicles. “Mary’s commitment in skillfully guiding GM through challenges past and present exemplifies her strength in transformative leadership… Her accomplishments are inspiring, and I am pleased she will share her perspectives with our graduates on what it takes to adapt, lead and thrive in today’s global economy.” said Garth Saloner, the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean at Stanford GSB.
Before she was named CEO of GM, Barra served as the company’s vice president of Global Human Resources; vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering; plant manager at the Detroit assembly plant; and executive director of Competitive Operations Engineering. Prior to these positions she served in various engineering positions for the company.
A success story in an industry that has had its fair share of challenges, Barra is sure to inspire this year’s graduates.