Auto industry / Business & brands
Alan Mulally
born 1945 · CEO of Ford Motor Company, former Boeing executive
Boeing engineer hired by Bill Ford in 2006 who steered Ford through the 2008–2009 crisis without a government bailout.
- Born
Oakland, California
age 81- Birth name
- Alan Roger Mulally
- Detroit years
- 2006–2014
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Mulally spent 37 years at Boeing, rising to head its commercial airplanes unit, before Bill Ford Jr. recruited him to Dearborn as Ford's president and CEO in September 2006. He arrived as Ford was losing billions and quickly mortgaged nearly all its assets, including the blue oval logo, to borrow $23.6 billion, a move seen at the time as desperate. He sold Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, dropped Mercury, and unified the company's global operations under his 'One Ford' plan. When the financial crisis hit, Ford was the only Detroit automaker that did not need a federal bailout, though Mulally testified in Congress in support of loans for GM and Chrysler to protect shared suppliers. On a later trip to Washington he drove from Detroit in a Ford hybrid. Ford returned to profit, and he retired in 2014.
Highlights
- President and CEO of Ford Motor Company, 2006–2014
- Arranged $23.6 billion in financing in 2006
- Ford avoided a government bailout in 2008–2009
- 'One Ford' global restructuring plan
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 2006–2014
Ford World Headquarters (Glass House)
Closed · 1956–2025
Ford's headquarters during his turnaround; vacated in 2025 and slated for demolition.