Ford's Alan Mulally Named 2011 CEO of the Year

Ford’s Alan Mulally Named 2011 CEO of the Year

Nominations for CEO of the Year were garnered from among the 147,000 readers of Chief Executive magazine. The 10 most frequently cited nominations were evaluated and a winner voted upon at a meeting of a peer selection committee, which took place earlier this year in New York City. Prior CEO of the Year winners include Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Michael Dell, A.G. Lafley, John Chambers, Anne Mulcahy, Larry Bossidy, Andy Grove and Herb Kelleher.

GREENWICH, Conn. — Ford CEO Alan Mulally has been named "2011 Chief Executive of the Year," an honor bestowed upon an outstanding corporate leader, nominated and selected by a group of his or her peers. Photo: ChiefExecutive.net

Nominations for CEO of the Year were garnered from among the 147,000 readers of Chief Executive magazine. The 10 most frequently cited nominations were evaluated and a winner voted upon at a meeting of a peer selection committee, which took place earlier this year in New York City. Prior CEO of the Year winners include Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Michael Dell, A.G. Lafley, John Chambers, Anne Mulcahy, Larry Bossidy, Andy Grove and Herb Kelleher.

The 2011 CEO of the Year Selection Committee was comprised of Dan Glaser (CEO, Marsh), Hugh Grant (CEO, Monsanto), Fred Hassan (Chairman, Schering-Plough), William Hickey (CEO, Sealed Air), C. Robert Henrikson (CEO, MetLife), Christine Jacobs (CEO, Theragenics), Kristian Moor (CEO, Chartis), William Nuti (CEO, NCR), Steve Odland (former CEO, Office Depot), Thomas Quinlan III (CEO, R.R. Donnelley), Jeffrey Sonnenfeld (CEO, The Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute) and James Turley (CEO, Ernst & Young). Tom Saporito, chairman of RHR International, was an adviser to the selection committee.

Mulally’s selection as 2011 CEO of the Year will be celebrated at an invitation-only event hosted by NYSE Euronext and the Chief Executive Group at the New York Stock Exchange in July.

"The success he showed in the face of incredible difficulty was just extraordinary," said James Turley, chairman and CEO, Ernst & Young and member of the 2011 Selection Committee. "The foresight he showed throughout the process, the courage he showed in making some tough decisions on popular brands, the global mindset he showed, and above all, the statesmanship he showed when two major competitors were on the public dole shows he was thinking for the good of the country as well as his company and industry."

"The turnaround and triumph of Ford is an amazing success story, due largely to his talents, leadership and courage," added Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant and 2010 CEO of the Year. "It’s a turnaround not only of an American icon but more importantly, a global icon, as well."

"Mulally has created a leadership template for all of us to follow going forward for what growing a business in the United States is going to look like," said Christine Jacobs, CEO of Theragenics.