General Motors' board of directors nominated retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Jan Tighe, a cybersecurity specialist, to join the automaker's governing body.
Tighe, 60, served for more than 34 years with the Navy and the National Security Agency, retiring in 2018. She is a former deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence. She was fleet commander for the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, U.S. 10th Fleet, as well as U.S. Cyber Command deputy director of operations.
GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement that Tighe's "vast expertise in cybersecurity and information systems will be invaluable" as the automaker continues to develop electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as expand software capabilities across all car and light-truck products.
"GM's future will be driven by a software-first approach that enables a faster cycle of innovation, an elevated experience for our customers and a more efficient enterprise," Barra said.
GM's board elections will be held during its annual shareholder meeting June 20. Carol Stephenson, the former dean of the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario until she retired in 2013, is retiring from the board and not standing for reelection this year, GM said.
"I couldn't be more excited to join GM's board during this momentous time," Tighe said in a statement. "GM's transformation — enabled by EVs, AVs and software-defined vehicles — is historic, as is the pace at which the company is executing its future."
Tighe also serves on the boards of Goldman Sachs, Huntsman Corp., IronNet Inc. and Progressive, though GM said she will retire from Progressive's board this year.
