14 DAY TRIAL // Even though he was rumored to be on the short list of people to occupy the CEO spot over at Microsoft, former Ford President Alan Mulally has taken a steep turn and has decided to join Google instead.
The company recently announced the appointment of Mulally on the Google Board of Directors and will serve on Google’s Audit Committee. While the news only came hours ago, the appointment has actually been effective since July 9, 2014.
“Alan brings a wealth of proven business and technology leadership experience. I am so pleased that Alan is now joining Google’s board,” said Google’s CEO, Larry Page.
For his part, Mullaly seems pretty happy with his decision to join Google. “I am honored to serve on the board of a global iconic company that is dedicated to enhancing our lives. I look forward to working together with the Google board and management team to continue to deliver their compelling vision,” he said.
The new Google board member was, until recently, the President and Chief Executive Officer for Ford Motor Company. He served at the huge company between September 2006 and June 2014, while also serving on Ford’s board of directors on the finance committee.
Before that, between March 2001 and September 2006, Mulally was the Executive Vice President of Boeing, as well as President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He was also a member of the Boeing Executive Council and prior to this served as the President of Boeing’s space and defense business.
He was also a co-chair of the Washington Competitiveness Council, was a member of the advisory boards of NASA, University of Washington, University of Kansas, Massachusetts Institute Technology and the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
Mulally’s impressive CV continues and it includes memberships to the US National Academy of Engineering and a fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. He has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Kansas, as well as a Master’s degree in Management from the famous MIT.
The decision to join Google comes a bit as a surprise, considering that Mulally himself announced that he was not going to take the job at Microsoft, but would stay with Fort at least through 2014. Considering that it’s barely July, it looks like he had a change of heart since he left the company at the beginning of the month.