BMW - Dr. Ing. Norbert Reithofer
Dr. Ing. Norbert Reithofer (born 29 May 1956 in Penzberg, Germany) is a German businessman and current CEO of BMW AG as well as Chairman of the Board of Management.
After graduating Abitur at the professional school in Munich, he started to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Munich, but changed to Marketing and Management. After graduation he became a scientific co-worker at the university with fellow student Joachim Milberg, under whom he gained his Doctorate.
In 1987 he joined BMW as head of maintenance planning. From 1991 to 1994 he was Director of the Body in White Production Division, an internal department of BMW's R&D department. From 1994 to 1997 Reithofer then became Technical Director of BMW South Africa. From 1997 to 2000, Reithofer was President BMW Manufacturing Corporation (USA), based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
In March 2000 he returned to Munich to join the BMW Board of Management, responsible for production. In 2002, Reithofer and Development Chief Burkhard Goeschel halved the standard BMW time it took to reach full production of the new generation E90 3 Series, from six months to three.
Ford - Alan Roger Mulally
Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American engineer and businessman. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company.
Mulally was previously executive vice president of Boeing and the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). Mulally began his career with Boeing as an engineer in 1969. Mulally was largely credited with BCA's resurgence against Airbus in the mid-2000s.
Education and personal life
Mulally was born in Oakland, California. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1969 with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. He is an alumnus of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and is its 2007 Man of the Year. He received a Master's degree in Management (S.M.) as a Sloan Fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management in 1982. He has three sons and two daughters and is married to the former Jane "Nicki" Connell.
Ford Motor Company
Mulally was named the President and CEO of Ford Motor Company on September 5, 2006, succeeding William Clay Ford, Jr., who remained as Executive Chairman of the company's Board of Directors. Mulally drew flak over calling his Lexus LS the 'finest car in the world,' just as Ford was about to announce his selection as CEO.
One of Mulally’s first decisions at Ford was to bring back the Taurus car name. He said that he could not understand why the company previously scrapped the Taurus, which had been a best seller. Mulally took over "The Way Forward" restructuring plan at Ford to turn-around its massive losses and declining market share. Mulally revived the Ford Taurus and his cost cutting led to the company's first profitable quarter in two years. Dividends to shareholders were also suspended. He presided over the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata, an Indian car manufacturer. Later, he said he had "no regrets" over the sale, preferring to concentrate on Ford.
In 2008 amid mounting losses during an economic downturn, Ford announced a proposal on December 2, 2008 to cut Mulally’s salary to $1 per year if government loans were received and used by Ford. During hearings for government loans to Ford, he and other industry leaders were criticized for flying to Washington, D.C. in corporate jets. During a subsequent meeting, he travelled from Detroit to Washington by hybrid car.
Mulally was credited with stabilizing Ford's financial position, so it currently does not face the threat of bankruptcy unlike General Motors and Chrysler.
Honda - Takeo Fukui
Takeo Fukui (November 28, 1944- ) is the president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. He is from Tokyo, Japan, though his mother gave birth to him in Hiroshima to escape intensifying air raids during World War II. He graduated from Waseda University with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Chemistry. He began working at Honda in April 1969. On April 22, 2003 it was announced he would become CEO of Honda, which is the position he currently holds.