GM EVP Mary Barra topped Fortune's list of the Most Powerful Women in the auto industry this year.
With Christmas around the corner, putting together lists becomes a priority for some and when it comes to the most powerful women in the automotive industry, there’s a list for that too: General Motors’ Mary Barra tops it.
Barra, executive vice president of global product development and global purchasing and supply chain, captured the No. 1 position on Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women in the auto industry list. Barra is considered a potential successor to GM CEO Dan Akerson.
While being considered for the top dog spot at GM certainly gave her plenty of cache, the remainder of the list is a mix of engineers, communications and marketing executives with a CEO of a supplier and a race car driver mixed in for good measure.
Three women working at GM finished in the top five, and a former employee finished third. Here’s the rest of the list:
- Grace Lieblein – GM, Vice president global purchasing and supply chain
- Julie Hamp – Toyota Motor North America, Chief communications officer
- Danica Patrick – Race car driver
- Alicia Boler-Davis – GM, Senior vice president global quality and global customer experience
- Barb Samardzich – Ford Motor, Vice president and chief operating officer, Ford of Europe
- Chris Barman – Chrysler Group LLC, Vehicle line executive
- Linda Hasenfratz – Linamar, CEO
- Trudy Hardy – BMW of North America, Vice president of marketing
- Elena Ford – Ford Motor, Vice president global dealer and consumer experience
In addition to this title, Barra also made Fortune’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list. She came in at No. 29. She was the only woman from the auto sector to make the list.
(Chevrolet expands Sonic lineup with RS and Dusk. For more, Click Here.)
Part of the reason for Barra being considered most powerful, according to Forbes, was the addition of purchasing and supply chain to her duties in August.
(Click Here to see more about Mary Barra’s “no crappy cars” mantra.)
“Her new responsibilities boosted her standing as a favorite to succeed CEO Dan Akerson in 2014 – an historic first for a woman in Detroit. Barra’s management mantra is a simple one: ‘No more crappy cars.’”