In an interview with the Associated Press, Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally, saying he wanted to end speculation that he was leaving Ford to run Microsoft, said that he would remain at Ford at least through the end of 2014 and that he's not interested taking the job as CEO of the software giant. Mulally would not say if he'd had talks with Microsoft about their CEO position. "I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford," the AP reported Mulally as saying. "You don't have to worry about me leaving." Mulally told the AP that all the talk and speculation about him leaving Ford was a distraction for the car company.
After Microsoft announced that their current CEO, Steve Ballmer, would be stepping down, there were many published reports that Mulally was on the short list of candidates to replace him. It's possible that Mulally took the step of making a public statement about his intentions so that speculation about his own future won't overshadow important new vehicle introductions next week at the big Detroit auto show.
A Ford spokesman confirmed that Mulally, 68, will be staying at Ford. "Alan made it absolutely clear today that he has no plans to do anything else other than to continue serving Ford. He's completely focused on making progress with the One Ford Plan," said Jay Cooney. "There is no change from our previously announced plans."
Mulally is the longest serving CEO at FoMoCo whose last name hasn't been Ford. He joined Ford after performing a turnaround at Boeing, where he'd worked for his entire career, taking the reins at the automaker in 2006. He is widely credited with returning Ford to profitability, while Ford's crosstown rivals GM and Chrysler went through bankruptcies and a government bailout, as well as changing Ford's corporate culture, which had been notorious for fiefdoms and infighting.
Regardless of when Mulally steps down from his position at Ford, it was made clear that Mark Fields will be his likely successor when Fields was named Chief Operating Officer of Ford in late 2012.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
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