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.”
