Rendezvous with a Mighty Heart
It’s not just Angelina Jolie who has a mighty heart. Meet the new face of gender diversity. It is not very often that you come across a woman heading an automobile giant. In an industry that is primarily known for hulk and tough situations, Mary Barra has begged to differ. She didn't just break the glass ceiling, she drove a truck through it when she took over as global CEO of General Motors in January 2014, Unsurprisingly, the media went berserk over the electrical engineer and Stanford MBA, who joined GM as an intern in 1980 (following her father into the company) and has never worked anywhere else.
The going has been far from smooth. She found herself appearing before the US Congress in April to answer for faulty ignition switches linked to 13 deaths - a problem that led to the recall of millions of vehicles. Barra's contrite apology was widely appreciated but she remains aware that she has a lot to do if she has to deliver on her avowed promise of bringing about a "new GM" and regaining customer trust.
The Road in India and Potholes
GM has had its share of problems here too. It is yet to make a profit despite being in the country for almost two decades, and has faced allegations of corporate fraud over issues related to the recall of multi-purpose vehicle Tavera. Still, the first question that Barra is inevitably asked is about being a trendsetter and whether this heralds a new trend of women in corner rooms.
"I have never looked at it that way. I work in an industry that is incredibly exciting. It's challenging, competitive, global and ever changing. It's an industry that I love and I am the second generation of my family in it. I've had big opportunities being presented to me by GM throughout my career and have been able to work in many different parts of the business," she told TOI in an exclusive interview. However, she added, "I think that something that is very strong about GM and also true about GM India is that it provides a great opportunity to women."GM has had its share of problems here too. It is yet to make a profit despite being in the country for almost two decades, and has faced allegations of corporate fraud over issues related to the recall of multi-purpose vehicle Tavera. Still, the first question that Barra is inevitably asked is about being a trendsetter and whether this heralds a new trend of women in corner rooms.
What advice does she have for young women, especially those studying in a developing economy like India? "Anytime I get an opportunity to talk, I encourage women to look into the math and science arena," she said. As an engineer herself, she's certainly walked the talk.
'Won't hesitate to recall more vehicles if need arises'
One senses that she's getting a little impatient with this line of questioning, and switches to talking about GM's problems. Barra is quick to spring to her beloved company's defence.
"How I look at it is that we are a five-year-old company with 100 years of lessons learnt," she said, in an apparent reference to GM's announcement of bankruptcy in 2009, following which it was saved after the intervention of the US government. "We will be foolish not to look at the lessons learnt in the past to build on the future. We are 100% forward looking."
Speaking about GM's operations in India, she said the company is going through a transformation and restructuring to build on the future. "All I can say is that the past is past. We will focus on the future which would mean having the right products; keeping the customers at the centre of what we do; and being a leader in safety and quality." Barra made a visit to the company's plant in Maharashtra and also met GM's suppliers and dealers. "We have a huge focus on improving the quality. Our teams have visited the plants and made assessments to improve the quality of manufacturing."
Speaking about the massive recall announcements made by GM, she said the company has "substantially completed" the exercise. "We're working hard to make sure that as new vehicles come out, they achieve even higher levels of quality and safety. We are very focused on being industry leaders," she said, but added that the company would not hesitate to call back more vehicles if the need arises.
"We've really benchmarked with the aerospace industry, the nuclear industry, industries that require a true zero-defect mentality," Barra said. "But if at any point of time, we learn there's an issue, we're going to put the customer in the centre, and we're going to take care of the issue and if that means a recall, we'll do