William Clay Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is often called Bill Ford. He is an American businessman who has been the executive chairman 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 served as its CEO from 2001 to 2006. He also holds the position of vice chairman for the Detroit Lions NFL franchise and is the chairman 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 member of the board, 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 heritage.

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

Career

He joined Ford in 1979 and held many different jobs, starting in product development and on the financial team, which helped prepare him for leadership roles. He worked as a mid-level executive in product development for several years. He also briefly managed the Climate Control Division, which was later sold off as part of the Visteon spinoff. During the Ford 2000 reorganization, he was responsible for 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 position that does not involve daily management. 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 in its light truck fleet, including SUVs, by 25% by mid-decade.

Under Ford’s leadership, Ford Motor Company made progress in fuel efficiency, including the introduction of the Hybrid Electric Escape, the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market, which achieved 36 miles per gallon (EPA) in city driving. The Escape’s platform shared with the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute was also planned to include hybrid-electric options. Other Ford vehicles, such as the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, were also expected to have hybrid-electric systems. Ford announced that half of its vehicle lineup would offer advanced hybrid-electric options by 2010. However, the company’s goal of producing 250,000 hybrid vehicles annually by 2010 was not met. Ford continued research on fuel cell-powered electric systems and hydrogen-fueled engines, as well as developing next-generation hybrid-electric technology. In addition to the Escape and its hybrid version, Ford marketed efficient crossover SUVs like the Ford Freestyle, Volvo XC70, and Volvo XC90. Ford also introduced new crossover SUVs, including the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7.

Ford expanded its lineup of flexible-fuel vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, and dual-fuel vehicles. Flexible fuel vehicles can run on a mix of fuels, such as ethanol-gasoline blends from pure gasoline to E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Alternative fuel vehicles use non-petroleum fuels like methanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, and hydrogen. Dual-fuel vehicles have two fuel tanks—one for CNG or propane and another for regular gasoline—with a switch to choose between them. Some of these vehicles were tested in fleets, such as taxis and shuttle buses, and were available for public purchase. Ford aimed to sell 250,000 alternative and flexible fuel vehicles by 2006, with most designed to use 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 of its North American operations in four years. The plan, called “The Way Forward,” helped Ford recover from a $1.6 billion loss in its North American operations during 2009. The company returned to profitability in 2010.

Ford has supported improvements in global transportation systems, stating that governments and private companies must rethink transportation infrastructure and technology as the world’s population grows. In January 2010, Ford launched Fontinalis Partners, a firm that invests in companies developing 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. Together, they have four children. He is the first cousin of Alfred Ford.

Bill Ford became a vegetarian in 1990. In 2010, he switched to a vegan diet.