General Motors has grown to gigantic proportions, increasing in size practically continuously since it first started out in 1908 and up until the financial troubles settled in and made everybody go bankrupt. It forced a big restructuring move from within the company, of which Mary Barra was a part of, occupying several different positions.

Now she is nominated as one of the prime candidates to someday run the whole of GM, and currently fills the role of executive vice president of global product development, a section of the company that alone is worth an estimated $15 billion.

In a recent interview for Fortune Magazine, she mentioned what her approach had been up until the present moment, and how her own initiative helped the company get past the difficult times that came around  the year 2008.

One of the topics of discussion was her desire to “change the culture” after the bankruptcy and bailout period, in an effort to make “no more crappy cars.” She explains that her responsibility is very high, as she has to allocate the development budgets for the new models which (are said to be shrinking, as per a reported industry trend), and her job is to not let that reflect in the quality of the products.

It’s an inspirational fifteen minute talk, which you can check out in the video posted after the virtual jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: Autoblog-com
VIDEO