Mulally

More than 250 University of Detroit Mercy students and alumni attended the March 31 presentation by Ford Motor President and CEO Alan Mulally during his initial visit to the University. The event was hosted by UDM's Master of Product Development program.

Mulally talked about his reasons for joining Ford Motor Company in 2006 after 37 years with The Boeing Company and his perspective on repositioning Ford for a brighter future. Mulally's strategic cost-cutting helped Ford to reverse its massive losses and increase market share by reviving the Ford Taurus, leading to the company's first profitable quarter in two years.

Mulally's success in business turnaround is what led William Ford Jr. to hand-pick him as the next leader of Ford, though Mulally had no prior experience in the auto industry.

The CEO is responsible for approving Ford's brand-new products, the Fusion, Edge, and MKS, which are much more stylish than previous Ford products. Mulally is also interested in creating more fuel-efficient vehicles.

From left: College of Business Administration Dean Hossein Nivi, Mulally, College of Engineering & Science Dean Leo Hanifin and UDM President Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J.

According to Mulally, Ford has "the best assets of any automotive company except Toyota." Although restructuring Ford is hard, "it is the right thing to do," he asserts.

In response to questions from students and alumni, Mulally also expanded on the issues of sustainability, Ford sales and marketing strategies, vendor partnerships and profitability.

Mulally referenced the need for Ford to keep focused on its four-point plan:

• Aggressively restructure to operate profitably at the current demand and challenging model mix
• Accelerate development of new products that customers want and value
• Finance the plan and improve the balance sheet
• Work together effectively as one team

By achieving its plan, Mulally says Ford "will be a stronger company and will create a lot of opportunities for a lot of people around the world."

To hear Mulally's full presentation, go to the UDMcast.

Ford Motor President & CEO Alan Mulally (center, with red tie) with UDM's Master of Product Development class members.