Currently reading: New GM boss Mary Barra: "I need to focus on my job"

Rather than take to the spotlight, new GM CEO Mary Barra says she wants to get on with running the company

New GM boss Mary Barra, the first female to head an international car maker, has reiterated her desire to get on with running the company over getting caught up in the attention surrounding her appointment.

Ever since her appointment at the end of 2013, Barra has been besieged with requests for interviews. At the Detroit motor show she was following by a press pack everywhere, despite her not formally taking up her new role until after the show.

“I understand the attention, but I am here to focus on a job, and that’s what I intend to do,” she said. “My responsibility is to GM, its shareholders, its customers, its employees.

“The recent management reshuffle has put good people in the right positions. My role is to let them do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and to keep my focus on what’s necessary.”

Asked is she considered herself a role model for other women, she added: “I hope I can inspire interest in engineering, certainly, and that I can help engage talented people to reach their potential.”

Read more Detroit motor show news.

Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you’ll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here.

Join the debate

Comments
2
Add a comment…
Motormouths 17 January 2014

It's better she'd rather get

It's better she'd rather get on with her job than waste time letting morons (mentioning no names) interrogate her.
devil's advocate 17 January 2014

2 articles on the same subject in 3 days

Jim Holder has a very similar blog dated 15th January in the main part of the magazine, surely overkill given she has not started the job yet.

GM is bigger than many countries GDP so give her time to see exactly what needs changing and how she has performed in say 12 months.