GM CEO Akerson Identifies Barra as Possible Successor

CEO Dan Akerson tells The Wall Street Journal that product development chief Mary Barra is a candidate to succeed him at General Motors Co.

Akerson says there are a "good number" of executives in the running. He told the Journal in early April that Vice Chairman Steve Girsky is a CEO contender. Analysts say North America chief Mark Reuss also is in the running.

Akerson, 63, said last week he has no plans to retire soon.

This is almost certainly the first time in GM's 103-year history that a woman is among the top candidates to become CEO. Barra joined the company in 1980 and held a series of engineering and manufacturing jobs before becoming head of global human resources in July 2009.

GM named her senior vice president for global product development and a member of the executive operations committee in February 2011. She joined the supervisory board of the company's struggling Adam Opel unit this January.