NLPC Opposes Mary Barra’s Re-Election to GM Board; Calls for Independent Chair

Shareholders urged to vote FOR independent Chair proposal and AGAINST Mary Barra’s re-election

After ten years as both CEO and Chair, the leadership of Mary Barra (pictured above) has cost General Motors shareholders over $13 billion in strategic writedowns while her own compensation has risen to $29.5 million.¹ National Legal and Policy Center’s comprehensive analysis reveals a troubling pattern of misjudgment that demands immediate governance reform.

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The most glaring example is GM’s electric vehicle strategy collapse. Despite Barra’s 2021 declaration that GM would “absolutely” surpass Tesla by 2025,² the company has now absorbed $8.7 billion in EV-related charges as it abandons the very initiatives she championed.³ The market’s verdict was decisive: GM’s stock performed best when investors learned the company was retreating from Barra’s “North Star” strategy.⁴

Even more concerning, NLPC specifically warned GM shareholders about China concentration risks in 2023, presenting a detailed shareholder proposal citing dangerous dependencies on Chinese state-owned partners.⁵ The Board, led by Barra, dismissed these warnings. Within eighteen months, GM absorbed over $5 billion in China-related losses—exactly the scenario NLPC had predicted.⁶

Beyond strategic failures, Barra presided over serious breaches of customer trust. The Federal Trade Commission imposed an extraordinary five-year ban on GM selling customer data after finding the company used “misleading enrollment processes” to collect and sell driving behavior to insurance companies without proper disclosure.⁷ Meanwhile, her oversight of safety issues, from the ignition switch scandal to Cruise’s robotaxi accident, drew harsh congressional criticism.⁸

Shareholders have expressed clear dissatisfaction. GM’s 2024 Say-on-Pay vote received just 58% support—a result the Board itself called “disappointing”—as more than 40% of shareholders explicitly rejected Barra’s compensation despite massive strategic losses.⁹

The concentration of Chairman and CEO roles in one person enabled these systematic governance failures by eliminating independent oversight when it was most needed. Leading institutional investors increasingly support independent chair arrangements precisely because they provide objective strategic oversight and enhanced accountability.¹⁰

NLPC’s exempt solicitation documents how an independent Chairman could have challenged flawed assumptions, ensured serious consideration of shareholder warnings, and imposed discipline before billions in capital was committed to failing strategies.

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Shareholders can vote NOW at www.proxyvote.com. With GM’s annual meeting scheduled for June 2, time is limited to implement essential governance reforms. Vote FOR Item 6 (independent Chair proposal) and AGAINST Mary Barra’s re-election. After $13 billion in strategic failures, GM shareholders deserve both accountability and independent oversight.

ENDNOTES

1. General Motors Company 2025 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A), filed April 22, 2025. See https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467858/000146785825000084/gm2025definitiveproxystate.pdf
2. “GM can ‘absolutely’ catch Tesla in EV sales by 2025, says CEO Mary Barra,” CNBC, October 27, 2021. See https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/27/gm-can-absolutely-top-tesla-in-ev-sales-by-2025-says-ceo-mary-barra.html
3. “GM releases 2025 financial results and 2026 guidance” (Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1), General Motors Company, January 27, 2026. See https://investor.gm.com/static-files/36170429-ef23-4ad5-97dd-6a523c3f8deb
4. “GM just wrote down $7.6 billion on its EV business—and grew market cap by the same amount,” Fortune, January 29, 2026. See https://fortune.com/2026/01/27/general-motors-earnings-electric-vehicle-writedown-stock-jump-7-billion/
5. “NLPC Calls Out GM Over Its EV Fantasies and Its Risks in China,” National Legal and Policy Center, June 20, 2023. See https://nlpc.org/corporate-integrity-project/nlpc-calls-out-gm-over-its-ev-fantasies-and-its-risks-in-china/
6. “GM Releases Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2024 Results and 2025 Guidance” (Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1), General Motors Company, January 28, 2025. See https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001467858/000146785825000030/gmq42024pressreleaseandfin.htm
7. “FTC Takes Action Against General Motors for Sharing Drivers’ Precise Location and Driving Behavior Data Without Consent,” Federal Trade Commission, January 16, 2025. See https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-takes-action-against-general-motors-sharing-drivers-precise-location-driving-behavior-data
8. “US senators accuse GM chief Mary Barra of ‘cover-up’ over recall,” The Guardian, April 2, 2014. See https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/02/gm-mary-barra-recall-congress-testimony
9. General Motors Company 2025 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A), page 5, filed April 22, 2025. See https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467858/000146785825000084/gm2025definitiveproxystate.pdf
10. “2025 Proxy Season in Review,” Debevoise & Plimpton LLC, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, August 26, 2025. See https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/26/2025-proxy-season-in-review/

(Post references PX14A6G Notice of exempt solicitation)