Bill Ford: ‘Our Family Name Is on the Line Every Day’ (The New York Times)
The chairman of Ford Motor and the great-grandson of Henry Ford is an elder statesman in an industry where C.E.O.s come and go.
With the coronavirus rapidly disrupting American life in mid-March and organized labor pressuring carmakers to ensure worker safety, Bill Ford reached out to the competition.
Mr. Ford, the chairman of the Ford Motor Company, brokered a conference call with the leaders of General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, the United Auto Workers and key Michigan politicians. The result was an unprecedented decision: The Big Three automakers temporarily suspended production throughout North America.
Cars and trucks have been rolling off the assembly line again for months now, but Mr. Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, still faces myriad challenges. The pandemic has forced Ford and other manufacturers to revamp production processes to promote social distancing. Tesla has made electric cars mainstream, leaving Ford and other legacy carmakers scrambling to stay relevant. And this year, Ford was the lone American automaker to defy President Trump and commit to adhering to California’s stringent fuel efficiency standards.
Mr. Ford is an elder statesman in an industry where C.E.O.s come and go. He joined the company in 1979, became a board member in 1988 and was chief executive from 2001 to 2006. Since then he has been executive chairman of the board.
Bill Ford (photo credit: Nick Hagen for The New York Times)
