Barra Named CEO in Major Management Shuffle at GM

General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson, 65, will retire on Jan. 15 and be succeeded in that job by Mary Barra, 51, marking the first time a woman has headed a major car company anywhere.

GM's board also made several new assignments for its senior management team. The changes were announced a day after the U.S. government exited as a shareholder of the company:

• Tim Solso, 66, a GM board member and former chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc., will succeed Akerson as chairman.
• Steve Girsky, 51, will move from his current position as vice chairman to become a senior advisor before leaving the company in April.
• Dan Ammann, 41, has been promoted from chief financial officer to president. He will continue as CFO until GM reports full-year results for 2013 in February.
• Mark Reuss, 50, will move into Barra's current job from his position as president of North American operations
• Alan Batey, 50, currently head of the Chevrolet brand's sales and marketing in the U.S., will succeed Reuss

Barra currently is GM's executive vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain. A 33-year veteran at the company, she has climbed the corporate ranks quickly since being promoted from head of human resources to senior vice president of global product development nearly three years ago.

Akerson signaled the board's interest in Barra when he declared in September that a female CEO at one of Detroit's Big Three carmakers was "inevitable."