Boosters of more female bosses are hailing the appointment of a woman to the top job at General Motors. br br Mary Barra is the first woman chief executive of a major carmaker. br br Currently an executive vice president, she has been at GM for her whole career, starting as an engineering intern in 1980. Her father was also a long-time GM employee.br br Retiring CEO Dan Akerson said Barra was “not picked because of her gender or political correctness”, but because she’s a “gifted executive”.br br She said: “I’ve worked at General Motors for 33 years and I’ve always known it’s a great company. The men and women of General Motors are so dedicated and I truly believe we have the best team on the field. So it’s an honour for me to be able to lead this team.