Ford CEO Alan Mulally is reportedly stepping down before the end of this year, and will be replace by the automaker's current COO Mark Fields.Bloomberglearned of the succession plan from two unnamed sources, who said Ford could make an official announcement as soon as May 1.
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Speculation about Mulally's departure has made headlines numerous times in recent months, including rumors last January that he was vying for the open CEO spot at Microsoft. It's unclear what Mulally has planned next, thoughBloombergsuggests he may continue his involvement with Ford by taking a "coporate govenance or business policy" position.
Ford has declined to comment on or confirm the speculation.
"We take succession planning very seriously and we have succession plans in place for each of our key leadership positions," Ford spokeswoman Susan Krusel toldBloomberg. "For competitive reasons, we don't discuss our succession plans externally."
Mulally joined Ford in 2006 after a career with Boeing Co. that spanned over three decades. He played an integral part in steering Ford away from bankruptcy and helping the automaker return record profits thanks to an improved product lineup showcasing his "One Ford" company mission and global strategy.
Fields has long been expected to be Mulally's successor. Both currently share leadership duties, with Fields already running the business-review meetings that Mulally instituted since joining Ford.
Source: Bloomberg
As MotorTrend’s road test editor and fleet manager, Erick Ayapana spends a bulk of his day pestering automakers for vehicles to test and shaming staffers for curbing wheels. Erick is a SoCal native who spends his free time doing SoCal things and pondering the world’s unsolved mysteries, including the proper way to launch a Subaru WRX with a manual transmission.
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