Mary Barra

Soon after Mary Barra took over as CEO of General Motors in 2014, she was staring down a major crisis. The automaker had admitted to selling millions of cars with ignition switch defects that were later linked to more than 100 deaths.

What followed was a recall of 2.6 million small cars for the ignition switch defect and a slew of investigations that brought GM under intense scrutiny. Barra, the first woman to be named chief executive of a major auto manufacturer, became the face of GM’s damage control efforts and ultimately helped stabilize the company after the turmoil. 

Under Barra, GM has seen a wholesale revival of its business since the company declared bankruptcy in 2009, at the time remaining afloat thanks to a $49 billion federal bailout. She was named chairwoman of GM’s board in 2016, making her the first CEO to also take on the role since the two positions were separated following the company’s bankruptcy. 

Barra, whose father worked as a diemaker for the company’s Pontiac plant for decades, has sought to promote GM’s electric vehicle business and build out its autonomous vehicle unit at a time when several companies, including many in the tech industry, are racing to develop and perfect self-driving cars.

— Max Greenwood