General Motors has named Mary Barra Senior Vice President, Global Product Development, to lead the design, engineering, program management, and quality of vehicles for the company’s 11 global brands. Her team will also manage global strategic product alliances. Barra was previously Vice President, Global Human Resources. She also has been Vice President, Global Manufacturing Engineering, and has held various engineering and staff positions. GM also has named Thomas Stephens its Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO), a newly created position. As Vice Chairman and CTO, Stephens is responsible for the company's global R&D organization. He was previously Vice Chairman, Global Product Operations. Over his 42-year career at GM, Stephens has held a number of engineering-leadership positions, including Vice President of Engineering in both the former GM Powertrain organization and GM Truck Group; Vice President of Vehicle Integration; and Executive Vice President of Global Powertrain and Global Quality. Both Barra's and Stephens' positions were effective Feb. 1.