Please note that the titles and descriptions that accompany each Trailblazers photograph are dated to the launch of the exhibit, March 2006, and will not be updated.
"I work in perhaps the most exciting industry in the world and now have a little gasoline in my blood! My life goal is to make a difference, and to instill in people a burning desire to do their very best."
Maureen Kempston Darkes '73
General Motors Group Vice-President, and President GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East
One of the few women in the automotive industry when she began her career more than 30 years ago, Maureen Kempston Darkes was undeterred by the challenge of rising to the top in a male-dominated profession. Inheriting her mother's extreme optimism and determination, Maureen set her sights high. She joined General Motors' legal staff in 1975 and held a series of progressively senior positions until her appointment in 1994 as President and General Manager, Canada, an achievement she recalls as the proudest moment of her life. Since 2002, Maureen has been Group Vice-President of General Motors Corporation and President of GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. She is considered one of the most influential women not only in the automotive industry, but also in international business. Over the years she has never forgotten the sacrifices made by her mother - who was left the sole provider after her husband passed away when Maureen was just 12 - and the support she has received from other women along the way.
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