Mary Barra made history Tuesday when she was named CEO of General Motors.
Barra, 51, a career GM employee, will become the first female chief executive of a major auto maker when she takes the helm in Jan. 16.
Born in Waterford, Mich., just outside of Pontiac, Barra, the daughter of a longtime GM worker, will become the ninth female CEO of the top 100 US companies.
“Congratulations to Mary,” Ellen Kullman, DuPont’s CEO, another of the nine, told The Post. “GM is a company where product innovation is key. Great innovation comes from diversity — of gender, of thoughts and ideas.”
Barra, a married mother of two and an electrical engineer, headed product development, designing the successful current Chevrolet Cruze and Impala models.
Present GM boss Dan Akerson is resigning early from his post to tend to his wife, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
The US and GM’s board inserted Akerson, who had little car experience, in 2010 after becoming upset with CEO Ed Whitacre for building a new finance business.
“With an amazing portfolio of cars and trucks and the strongest financial performance in our recent history, this is an exciting time at today’s GM,” Barra said in a statement. “I’m honored to lead the best team in the business and to keep our momentum at full speed.”
Taxpayers bailed out GM in 2009, and on Monday Uncle Sam sold the last of its stake — losing $10 billion on the deal.
GM’s shares, up 40 percent this year, fell 1.2 percent Tuesday, to $40.40.