Ford CEO Alan Mulally To Stay Put….For Now

CEO Alan Mulally and Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Jr
CEO Alan Mulally and Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Jr

It’s been a rumor-filled few months for Ford CEO Alan Mulally, but he’s confirmed that he’s staying with the company through the end of the year and won’t be moving to Microsoft.

The standard line from everyone at Ford has consistently been that Mulally wasn’t going anywhere through at least the end of 2014, but this time it’s the man himself saying he’s intent on serving Ford and only Ford. He made the statements at a recent interview in Dearborn, Michigan saying that he wanted to clear up all the speculation about him leaving for Microsoft.

Microsoft announced back in August that their CEO, Steve Ballmer, would be stepping down and Mulally’s name quickly surfaced on the short list of likely replacements. No word from Microsoft on how they feel about the news, but if they were really looking at him as a prime candidate they’ve got to be disappointed.

Mulally led Ford through an incredibly challenging period, making them once again profitable in part by completely reworking Ford’s corporate culture. Once mired down by internal squabbling among the executive team, Mulally brought the company together and set it back in the right direction.

The constant speculation over Mulally’s departure was beginning to cast a bit of a shadow over the company. Many saw it as a distraction from the business of selling cars, so confirmation that he’s staying through the end of the year is welcome news for Ford and its investors.

It was back in 2006 when Mulally, a former Boeing executive, took the reins at Ford and he’s now the third longest-serving CEO in the company’s history. Only Henry Ford and Henry Ford II held the position for longer.

Once 2014 is over, and it’s only January so there’s plenty of time for things to change, the likely successor to Mulally is current Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields.

Check out our video of one of Ford’s most talked about new vehicles, the 2015 Ford Mustang…

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.