General Motors Co. has appointed two new directors, including technology industry veteran Meg Whitman, its first high-profile move since the collapse of its media startup Quibi Holdings LLC last year.
GM said on Thursday that Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and eBay Inc., and Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, joined the board immediately. Tatum, 51, has been the NBA’s chief operating officer since 2014, overseeing the league’s entry into international markets.
The nominations add to a GM board that corporate governance groups have praised for their diversity, especially the inclusion of women, who now occupy seven of their 13 board seats. This includes CEO and President Mary Barra.
The automaker is among the 5% of companies on the Russell 3000 Index – which includes almost all American publicly traded companies – in which women represent at least half of the directors, according to the advocacy group 50/50 Women on Boards.
The subject of the council’s diversity came to have a clearer focus last year, amid broader debates about social inequality and racial injustice.