Alan Mulally
Born 1945 · Age 80
American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive; longtime Boeing leader who became president & CEO of Ford (2006–2014) and led a major turnaround; later served on corporate boards and received many industry honors.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Alan Mulally and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Oakland, California
Alan Roger Mulally was born to Lauraine Lizette (Clark) and Charles R. Mulally.
Inspired by JFK Moon Challenge
At age 17 was motivated by President John F. Kennedy's call to send a man to the moon, influencing career direction toward aerospace.
BS in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, University of Kansas
Graduated with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical & astronautical engineering; member of Kappa Sigma fraternity.
MS in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, University of Kansas
Completed Master of Science degree and immediately joined Boeing as an engineer.
Joined Boeing as an engineer
Hired by Boeing immediately out of college; began multi-decade career working on commercial airplane programs.
Named Engineer of the Year (Boeing & NSPE)
Recognized in 1978 as Engineer of the Year by Boeing and the National Society of Professional Engineers for contributions to Boeing aircraft.
Led cockpit design for 757/767 (first all-digital flight deck)
Led the cockpit design team on the 757/767 project which produced one of the first all-digital flight decks in commercial aircraft.
SM (Sloan Fellow) in Management, MIT Sloan
Earned a Master's degree in Management as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow from MIT's Sloan School of Management.
Named VP & General Manager of the Boeing 777 program
Promoted to vice president and general manager of the 777 program (first as director of engineering earlier).
Promoted to Senior VP, Airplane Development at Boeing
Took charge of all airplane development activities, flight test operations, certification and government technical liaison for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Robert J. Collier Trophy (Boeing 777 team)
National Aeronautic Association awarded Mulally and the 777 team the 1995 Collier Trophy for the Boeing 777's achievements.
Named President, Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems
Became president of Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems and senior vice president of The Boeing Company.
Named President of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA)
Promoted to president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in September 1998.
CEO duties added for Boeing Commercial Airplanes
In March 2001 chief executive officer duties were added to his role running Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Passed over for CEO of The Boeing Company (after Condit's resignation)
Considered a leading internal candidate for Boeing CEO when Phil Condit resigned in 2003 but was passed over; questions raised about his future at Boeing.
Passed over again for Boeing CEO (after Stonecipher resignation)
Following the forced resignation of Harry Stonecipher in 2005, Mulally again was considered and passed over for Boeing's top job.
Boeing resurgence credited (generated $22.6B in new business sales)
Mulally widely credited with Boeing Commercial Airplanes' resurgence and $22.6 billion in new business sales by 2005.
Aviation Week Person of the Year
Named Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine's Person of the Year for 2006 for performance at Boeing.
Implemented Ford borrowing: $23.6B mortgage (all assets)
Led Ford to borrow US$23.6 billion by mortgaging all assets to finance overhaul and provide a recession cushion.
Named President & CEO of Ford Motor Company
Succeeded Bill Ford as president and chief executive officer of Ford; Bill Ford became executive chairman.
One Ford strategy & return to core brand focus
Consolidated strategy to focus on the Ford brand globally and simplified product lineup (part of One Ford and Way Forward initiatives).
Sale of Jaguar & Land Rover to Tata Motors
Presided over sale of Jaguar Cars and Land Rover to Tata Motors; Ford received US$2.3 billion.
Proposed to take $1 salary if government loans used (Dec 2, 2008)
Announced a proposal to cut his salary to $1/year if Ford took government loans and used them.
Sold most corporate jets; drove Ford hybrid to Washington hearings
In response to criticism of industry exec travel, he sold all but one corporate jet and traveled to testimony in a Ford-built hybrid.
Total compensation reported of $13.565M
Mulally's 2008 total compensation was $13,565,378 (base salary $2,000,000; stock awards $1,849,241; option awards $8,669,747).
Named to 2009 Time 100 list
Included in Time magazine's 2009 list of the 100 most influential people, entry written by Steve Ballmer.
Automotive Industry Leader of the Year (2009) & other honors
Received industry recognition including Automotive Hall of Fame associated honors (industry leader award noted for 2009).
Member, President's Export Council
Served on the President's Export Council advising President Barack Obama on exports and market entry (Council formed in 2010).
Financial Times ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Person of the Year
Named Person of the Year by the Financial Times ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards.
Chief Executive magazine 'CEO of the Year'
Named 2011 CEO of the Year by Chief Executive magazine.
Edison Achievement Award
Honored with an Edison Achievement Award for his commitment to innovation throughout his career.
Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Kansas
Awarded an honorary Doctor of Science by his alma mater for contributions to engineering and transportation.
Book published chronicling Ford turnaround: 'American Icon' (2012)
Bryce G. Hoffman published American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company.
Ford announces Mulally will stay through 2014
Ford announced he would remain CEO at least through 2014; Mark Fields later named successor.
Reported exploring earlier exit from Ford
News reports indicated Mulally might step down earlier than 2014 as he explored other roles; board reportedly sympathetic.
Retired as Ford CEO; succeeded by Mark Fields
Retired from Ford Motor Company on July 1, 2014 after leading the company through a financial and product turnaround.
Appointed to Google's (Alphabet) Board of Directors
Appointed to the Board of Directors of Google (now Alphabet) shortly after retiring from Ford; later left the board by 2024.
Inducted into International Air & Space Hall of Fame
Inducted into the San Diego Air & Space Museum's International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
Joined Board of Carbon3D (3D printing startup)
Joined the board of directors of Carbon3D according to Franklin Institute biography notes.
Inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame (Class of 2016)
Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in recognition of leadership at Ford and industry impact.
Considered for U.S. Secretary of State (post-2016 election)
Reportedly considered for Secretary of State in the incoming Trump administration; position went to Rex Tillerson.
Senior Fellow at Seattle University's Albers School of Business
Took a senior fellow role at Albers School of Business & Economics at Seattle University in April 2016.
Franklin Institute Bower Award for Business Leadership
Received the Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin Institute for his transformative leadership of Ford and Boeing achievements.
Recognized career summary published by Franklin Institute (profile)
Franklin Institute published a comprehensive profile highlighting Mulally's career, awards, and leadership style.
No longer listed on Alphabet (Google) Board
By January 15, 2024 Mulally was no longer on Alphabet/Google's Board of Directors per Alphabet investor relations.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Alan Mulally and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
James Redfield
Born 1950 · Age 75
American writer, lecturer, screenwriter and film producer best known for The Celestine Prophecy series of novels and related works.
Jay Leno
Born 1950 · Age 75
American comedian, television host and automotive enthusiast best known as host of NBC's The Tonight Show (1992–2009, 2010–2014).
Arianna Huffington
Born 1950 · Age 75
Greek–American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman; co‑founder of The Huffington Post, founder & CEO of Thrive Global, author of 15 books and prominent media/wellness advocate.
Bjarne Stroustrup
Born 1950 · Age 75
Danish computer scientist, designer and original implementer of the C++ programming language; long career at Bell Labs, Texas A&M, Morgan Stanley, and Columbia University. Author of core C++ books and leading member of the ISO C++ standards committee.
Richard Branson
Born 1950 · Age 75
English entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group; founded numerous companies spanning music, travel, telecoms and space tourism; noted for record‑setting adventures and philanthropy.
Dan Sullivan
Born 1950 · Age 75
American former racing driver; 17-time CART winner, 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner (famous 'spin-and-win'), 1988 CART champion, raced in F1 (1983), sports cars, NASCAR, TV commentator and motorsports advisor.