General Motors named Mary Barra as its first female CEO, replacing Dan Akerson, who will retire next year, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Barra joined GM 33 years ago as a college intern, eventually becoming an engineering manager before running one of its big U.S. assembly plants. She received global experience managing human resources and, more recently, the company's world-wide product development group. In naming Barra, GM restructured its top executive ranks, splitting the role of CEO and board chairman and shifting finance chief Dan Ammann to a new post as president, overseeing its global operations.
