GM looks to put government decoding expert on its board of directors

General Motors is looking to the government’s former head of decoding intelligence and cybersecurity to help lead the automaker as it transitions to making more software-dependent cars such as electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles.

On Friday, GM said it is nominating for election to the board Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, former U.S. Navy deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and director of Naval Intelligence. The vote will occur at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on June 20.

Tighe, 60, is a career cryptologist who spent more than 34 years with the U.S. Navy and National Security Agency before retiring in 2018. A cryptologist is someone who is an expert at studying secret codes.

Tighe has worked all over the world for the Navy and the National Security Agency. She specializes in Signals Intelligence and Cyber Operations. She has flown combat support missions during Desert Storm in the early 1990s.

“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,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement. “Vice Admiral Tighe’s vast expertise in cybersecurity and information systems will be invaluable as GM scales EVs, AVs, and software-defined vehicles to deliver our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.”

Tighe was the first woman to command a numbered fleet and first woman cryptologic warfare officer promoted to flag rank. She was deputy director of operations of U.S. Cyber Command and president of the Naval Postgraduate School.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join GM’s Board during this momentous time,” said Tighe. “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.”

GM is investing $35 billion in EV and AV technologies through the next two years with the goal to sell all zero-emission vehicles by 2035. As part of that, GM is rolling out the Ultifi Platform this year, which, combined with OnStar, will enable over-the-air updates and services to vehicles. GM also offers its hands-free driving technology through Super Cruise, which will be available globally on 22 vehicle models by the end of the year.

GM board member Carol Stephenson is retiring. If each nominee for the board is elected at the annual shareholder meeting, the GM board will have 13 directors with senior leadership and board experience in manufacturing, digital commerce, retail, higher education, investment management, international affairs, defense, transportation, and information technology and cybersecurity, among other fields. Six of GM’s Board nominees are women.