Mullaly Has "No Regrets" Leading Ford During Eight-Year Tenure
Outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mullaly appeared at his final annual investors meeting in Wilmington, Del. to a standing ovation from shareholders, proclaiming he had “no regrets” about his eight-year service at the helm.
Bloomberg reports Mullaly, who will pass the torch to upcoming CEO Mark Fields July 1, said he would “always be very pleased and very proud” of all he accomplished at Ford, confident that Fields and the rest of the leadership team under the One Ford management system — built with help from Fields — would be able to take the Blue Oval to the next level.
During his tenure, Mullaly saw Ford earn $42.3 billion over the past five years after losing $30.1 billion in the two years leading to the 2008 automotive industry crash and the Great Recession. In addition, U.S. sales in 2013 rose 11 percent on the strength of products such as the F-Series, Escape and Fusion, while outselling Toyota in China.
As for Fields, executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. stated that nothing would change beyond who would be sitting in the CEO’s office:
Typically what’s happened is the new CEO always feels like they have to chart a new direction, I’ve seen that many, many times and that’s confusing to an organization. Because Mark has been an architect of the direction that we’re going, there is going to be a continuation and a continuation of the culture.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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Mulally has presided over 1-2 generations of pretty much every Ford product and totally remade the company into one global company vs a collection of regional companies with the same name. He shouldn't have any regrets. At the same time, there is plenty for Fields to do: 1. The Lincoln revival (lets see of Ford has the persistence of GM with Cadillac or VW with Audi) 2. The fixing of MyFordTouch 3. Ford of Europe's continued troubles (where the current Ford Fusion we have - Ford Mondeo there - still isn't on sale)
"U.S. sales in 2013 rose 11 percent on the strength of products such as the F-Series, Escape and Fusion, while outselling Toyota in China" Sounds good , but looking at the details not so good, Ford Profit shrunk in the US, Globally it is 7th in sales , not so good. In China the aversion to Japanese cars has helped it.
Wow the arrogance of this one is asrou. No regrets over the lying? The encouragement of a dishonest culture throughout the organization? Deceiving customers? The massive drop in quality that we are seeing? The production of sir if the most bland and mediocre vehicles the industry has ever seen? Missing your own goals in vehicle development? Numerous recalls? And just recently we discovered the fuel mileage of the Lincoln Escape rebadge....in a word, pitiful for a compact SUV. He should have many regrets over his disastrous tenure.
Plug pulled on Panther under this guy's tenure...lynch the bastard