Past Ford leaders

A look at the men who preceded Jim Hackett:

HENRY FORD 1906-18, 1943-45

The industrialist Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor company in 1903. A titan of industry, he was the first to adapt assembly line techniques to the auto industry with the Model T, and he brought car ownership into the realm of possibilities for middle-class Americans.

EDSEL FORD 1919-43

Struggled daily for control of the company with his father, Edsel helped move Ford back into market dominance in the late 1920s with the Ford Model A. Under Edsel Ford, the company purchased Lincoln Motor Co., which eventually became Ford’s higher-end brand to compete with the likes of Buick and Cadillac. He unexpectedly died in 1943, forcing Henry Ford to return to running Ford.

HENRY FORD II 1945-79

The grandson of the founder led the company through some of its greatest years but also endured some of its biggest failures. The company created the Thunderbird and Mustang, but also the Edsel marketing flop and the fire-prone Pinto. Ford became a publicly traded company.

PHILIP CALDWELL 1979-85

Caldwell was the first CEO of Ford who wasn’t a member of the Ford Family. He is best known for being the CEO who started the turnaround effort at Ford during the company’s most troubled years.

DONALD PETERSEN 1985-90

Petersen was the first of two consecutive CEOs who are credited with turning around the company when Ford was struggling against the intense competition from Japanese automakers. The change in corporate culture led to creation of some of Ford’s biggest sellers, like the Explorer and Taurus.

HAROLD “RED” POLING 1990-93

Nicknamed “Red” for his hair, Poling is best known for being a top executive at Ford through two recessions: the early 1980s downturn and the recession in the early 1990s.

ALEXANDER TROTMAN 1993-99

Born in the U.K., Trotman held numerous positions at Ford before he became CEO. His biggest contribution was an attempt to move Ford’s various brands worldwide to start sharing parts and platforms to help lower production costs.

JACQUES NASSER 1999-2001

Nasser’s tenure was dominated by the Ford-Firestone tire recall. Ford ended up recalling more than 20 million Firestone tires, and the scandal ended the 100year partnership between the two.

WILLIAM CLAY FORD JR. 2001-06

The great-grandson of Henry Ford’s attention to large vehicles left Ford unprepared for the change in consumer interests that occurred once gasoline prices spiked and the housing market crashed.

ALAN MULALLY 2006-13

The former Boeing executive cut costs, sold off brands and restructured the company. Ford was the only Detroit automaker not to take government bailout money during the Great Recession.

MARK FIELDS 2014-17

He began moving Ford to a “mobility” company with plans for autonomous vehicles and exploring ridehailing and car-sharing.