General Motors names Mary Barra as CEO, first woman to lead an automaker

Corporate succession announcements often have no impact much beyond the sphere of any company's influence, but a surprise announcement by General Motors today should rightly be called a bit of history: As of January, one of the world's largest automakers will be led by Mary Barra, a 51-year-old executive who will become the first woman chief executive of a major carbuilder.

GM said in a statement that the move was made several months sooner than expected due to current chief executive Dan Akerson having to step down due to his wife's cancer diagnosis. Akerson had been expected to leave sometime after the U.S. government sold the last shares of GM it held after the 2009 bailout — which it did on Monday, recording a $10 billion loss on the company's rescue.

Barra has long been considered one of a handful of executives in the running for the CEO post after Akerson's departure. (Most of her competitors for the job will get promotions of some sort, with the exception of the chairman of GM Europe, who's leaving that thankless job in April.) Since February 2011, Barra has overseen GM global vehicle development, and in the past few years the automaker has released a string of strong vehicles, from the new Corvette Stingray to the Cadillac ATS and CTS sedans.

“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 today. “I’m honored to lead the best team in the business and to keep our momentum at full speed.”