Jon Huntsman Joins Ford Board of Directors
Jon Huntsman joined the ranks of Ford Thursday, when the automaker announced the details of a management shakeup, including the failed Republican presidential candidate’s election to its Board of Directors. Ford’s 65 year-old CEO Alan Mulally assured investors that he is not stepping down anytime soon, but CFO Lewis Booth and engineer Derrick Kuzak are retiring.
Booth will be succeeded, the company said, by Robert Shanks, currently Ford’s vice president and controller who has been with the company for 34 years. Succeeding Kuzak as director of global product development is Raj Nair, meanwhile, who himself has spent 20-plus years as an engineer with Ford. Mulally noted that even though Kuzak and Booth were instrumental to Ford’s turnaround over the last couple of years, the company’s direction will not change with their departure.
During a press conference held to discuss the management changes, the issue of when Mulally plans to retire was raised, to which the former Boeing executive replied that he had none. The subject of Mulally’s successor was also brought up, as Booth was on the short list of names speculated about when Ford’s next CEO is discussed.
