General Motors Co. announced today that Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and eBay, and Mark Tatum of the National Basketball Association will join the Detroit-based automaker’s board of directors effective immediately.
“Mark and Meg will bring unique experiences to the board, especially in technology, brand building, and customer experience that will help us drive value for shareholders and other GM stakeholders now and into the future,” says Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of GM.
The board will grow to 13 members, all of whom will stand for election at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in June. Seven of the directors are women, according to the company.
Whitman was most recently president of Quibi Holdings, a media startup, from 2018-2021. She also held CEO roles at Hewlett-Packard Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and eBay.
“GM’s growth strategy has all the elements of a startup but with far greater scale, millions of customers, and a strong underlying business,” Whitman says. “This makes it a very exciting time to join the board.”
Whitman has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard University.
Tatum is deputy commissioner and COO of the NBA, where he leads the league’s business, communications, and marketing operations. Tatum has been at the NBA since 1999.
He received a bachelor’s from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University.
“GM is changing a more than 100-year-old business model and marshalling thousands of people and billions of dollars to drive solutions that matter for the environment, communities, businesses, and investors,” says Tatum. “Joining the board and helping accelerate that change is an honor, and I look forward to working with the GM team and my fellow directors to make it happen.”
Last year, GM announced it is investing $27 billion through 2025 to launch 30 electric vehicles globally and commercialize self-driving technology. The company has also announced its commitment to become carbon neutral in global productions and operations by 2040.
