General Motors CEO Mary Barra has been elected chair of the Washington, D.C.-based organization Business Roundtable, becoming the first woman to serve in the role. She will begin her two-year term Jan. 1.
Ms. Barra will succeed Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, who will remain an active member of the Business Roundtable board of directors after his two-year term ends Dec. 31, a news release said.
"It is an honor to be elected Chair of Business Roundtable," Ms. Barra said in the news release. "I appreciated Doug's leadership as the Roundtable navigated through many challenges including our response to COVID-19 and leading toward economic recovery as well as our work to advance racial equity and justice. I look forward to continuing to help advance policies that offer greater economic growth and opportunity for all Americans."
Ms. Barra joined Business Roundtable, a coalition of CEOs of America's leading companies, in 2017 and currently serves as chair of the education and workforce committee. She has served as CEO of General Motors since 2014.
Other members of the organization include Apple CEO Tim Cook, CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch, Anthem CEO Gail Boudreaux and Centene CEO Michael Neidorff.