Bill Ford carried on the family name, becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2001, of Ford Motor Company - the carmakers his great-grandfather founded. He was elected Chairman of the Board in 1998 and is still Executive Chairman in 2008. A lifelong environmentalist, he has always been committed to developing environmentally friendly products and processes.

 

His achievements include establishing the company's first wildlife habitat at a plant location, and the first automotive plant in the world to use 25% post-consumer materials in all of its plastic parts. He was also responsible for the company’s first corporate citizenship report in 2000, outlining the economic, environmental and social impact of company products and operations around the world.