General Motors President and CEO Mary Barra participates in the Economic Club of Washington’s discussion on “the auto industry’s transformation to an all-electric future, the path to autonomous vehicles, and recent negotiations with GM workers” in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 13, 2023.
Elżbieta Frantz | Reuters
DETROIT – General Motors CEO and President Mary Barra said Thursday that she has no plans to retire any time soon as she tries to make sure the company’s transformation is on the “right path.”
Barra, who is the longest-serving CEO outside the company’s founder, has been asked about retirement for several years. The questions intensified as rival executives changed under Barry, who had served as leading CEO for more than 10 years.
“I’m having a great time and I want to make sure our transformation is on track,” she said during a fireside chat at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club. “So I’m newborn and hearty, I have a supportive family, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere anytime soon.”
During Barry’s tenure, many potential GM successors came and went. Several left the company to pursue other opportunities, and others retired or left the company for unspecified reasons.
Barra, 62, reiterated that she was at the pleasure of GM management and that she was still “having fun.” She said she was experiencing the “most exhilarating time” of her career in the automotive industry.
GM, like other automakers, is investing billions of dollars in fully electric vehicles, even though consumer adoption has been slower than many expected just a few years ago.
The Detroit automaker is also trying to restart its Cruise autonomous vehicle business after ceasing public operations following an Oct. 2 accident in which a pedestrian in San Francisco was dragged 20 feet by a Cruise robotaxi.
Cruises and electric vehicles, as well as software-defined vehicles and services, are among the biggest potential growth areas under Barry, who became CEO in January 2014.
