General Motors is naming Mary Barra as its new CEO- and its first female CEO - to succeed Dan Akerson on January 15th.<br/> <br />The choice was not unexpected.<br/> <br />In her current role as Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Barra is well known as a hard driving executive who has pushed the company to high standards of quality.<br/> <br />The 51-year old Barra, an engineer by trade, was already the highest ranking woman in the auto industry.<br/> <br />The auto industry is a family business- her dad worked for General Motors for close to 40 years.<br/> <br />Mary Barra was named one of both Forbes and Fortune's Most Powerful women in business.
