(Reuters) - General Motors Co (NYSE:GM) on Thursday said it is expanding its board of directors to 13 persons, with women holding seven of the seats.
GM named two new directors, Meg Whitman and Mark Tatum.
Whitman, 64, is a longtime tech executive and former Republican candidate for governor of California. Most recently, she was chief executive of media startup Quibi. Before that, she was CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) and Hewlett-Packard Co, and earlier was president and CEO of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY).
Whitman also is a director at consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), whose 13-person board includes six women.
Tatum, 51, is deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the National Basketball Association.
Whitman and Tatum join the board of the largest U.S. automaker as it is engaged in a sweeping transformation of its products and business lines.
General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra said the automaker's diverse board "is a competitive advantage for GM as we work to deliver a better, safer and more sustainable world.”
Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Co, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, has three women on its 12-person board, and has nominated a fourth -Alexandra Ford English, daughter of Executive Chairman Bill Ford.