William Clay Ford Jr., born on May 3, 1957, is often called Bill Ford. He is an American business leader and has served as the executive chair of Ford Motor Company since 1999. He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford, the company’s founder. Ford became a member of the company’s board in 1988 and was the chief executive officer from 2001 to 2006. He also holds the position of vice chair for the Detroit Lions, an NFL team, and is the chair of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

Early life and education

Bill Ford was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford I and Harvey S. Firestone. His father was William Clay Ford Sr., and his mother was Martha Firestone. On his mother's side, his grandparents were Harvey S. Firestone Jr. and Elizabeth Parke. On his father's side, his grandparents were Edsel Ford I and Eleanor Lowthian Clay. Edsel Ford II, who is the son of Henry Ford II and a board member, is Bill Ford's first cousin. Bill Ford has three sisters: Martha Morse (who has three children), Sheila Ford Hamp (who has three children), and Elizabeth Kontulis. Like his great-grandfather Henry Ford, Bill Ford is mainly of Irish, English, and Belgian descent.

Bill Ford graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut in 1975. He then went to Princeton University, where he earned a B.A. in history in 1979. His senior thesis, which was 105 pages long, was titled "Henry Ford and Labor: A Reappraisal." During his time at Princeton, Ford was president of the Ivy Club and played rugby for the Princeton team. In 1984, he received an M.S. in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow.

Career

He joined Ford in 1979 and held many different roles, starting in product development and later working in finance, which helped prepare him for future leadership positions. He worked as a mid-level manager in product development for several years. He also briefly led the Climate Control Division, which was later separated from Ford as part of the Visteon spinoff. During the Ford 2000 reorganization, he was responsible for managing heavy truck operations.

Ford left his role in heavy truck program management to become chairman of the finance committee on the board of directors, a non-leadership position focused on corporate governance. He was elected chairman of the board in September 1998 and began his role on January 1, 1999. In October 2001, Ford was given the title of chief executive officer after the previous CEO, Jacques Nasser, left the company. When Ford’s president and chief operating officer, Jim Padilla, retired in April 2006, Ford took over those roles as well. On September 5, 2006, Ford announced he would step down as president and CEO, naming Alan Mulally, a former Boeing executive, as his replacement. Ford continues to serve as the company’s executive chairman.

At the time of his departure, Ford was ranked 264th on Forbes’ list of top-earning CEOs, with an annual salary of $10 million.

In 2000, Ford announced the company would improve fuel efficiency by 25% in its light truck fleet, including SUVs, by the middle of the decade.

Under Ford’s leadership, Ford Motor Company made progress in improving fuel efficiency, including the introduction of the Hybrid Electric Escape, the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market, achieving 36 miles per gallon (EPA) in city driving. The Escape’s platform shared with the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute was also scheduled to receive hybrid-electric options, as were other vehicles like the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Ford announced that half of its vehicle lineup would offer hybrid-electric options by 2010. However, the company’s earlier goal of producing 250,000 hybrid vehicles annually by 2010 was too high and had to be abandoned. Ford continued researching fuel cell-powered systems, hydrogen-fueled engines, and next-generation hybrid-electric technology. In addition to the Escape, Hybrid Escape, Mariner, and Tribute, Ford marketed high-efficiency crossover SUVs such as the Ford Freestyle, Volvo XC70, and Volvo XC90. Ford also introduced new crossover models, including the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7.

Ford expanded its lineup of vehicles that can use alternative fuels. Flexible-fuel vehicles can run on a mix of ethanol and gasoline, including blends like E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Alternative fuel vehicles use non-petroleum fuels such as methanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, and hydrogen. Dual-fuel vehicles have two fuel tanks—one for CNG or propane and another for gasoline—with a switch to choose between them. Some of these vehicles were tested in fleets like taxis and shuttle buses, and some were available for public purchase. Ford aimed to sell 250,000 alternative and flexible-fuel vehicles by 2006, with most designed for ethanol-gasoline blends like E85.

In November 2000, Ford spoke at a conference in London and suggested the company might one day offer a service where it owns vehicles and provides them to people when needed.

Market competition, healthcare costs, and rising material prices led Ford to announce a second restructuring for its North American operations in four years. Ford’s plan, called “The Way Forward,” helped the company recover from a $1.6 billion loss in 2009 and return to profitability in 2010.

Ford has supported efforts to improve transportation systems worldwide, stating that governments and private companies must rethink infrastructure and technology as the global population grows. In January 2010, Ford launched Fontinalis Partners, a strategic investment firm focused on funding companies that develop next-generation mobility solutions. Ford co-founded the firm with Ralph Booth, Mark Schulz, Chris Cheever, and Chris Thomas.

Personal life

Bill Ford is married to Lisa Vanderzee Ford, and together they have four children. He is a first cousin to Alfred Ford.

Bill Ford has followed a vegetarian diet since 1990 and began eating a vegan diet in 2010.