Google Brings Ex-Ford CEO Mulally On To Its Board

Google GOOG GOOGL made an interesting announcement this week: it is bringing a veteran automotive and aerospace industry executive on to its board of directors.

Alan Mulally was CEO of Ford F from 2006 until just weeks ago. He was also a top executive at Boeing BA. He will serve on Google's Audit Committee.

“I am honored to serve on the board of a global iconic company that is dedicated to enhancing our lives,” Mulally said in a statement. “I look forward to working together with the Google board and management team to continue to deliver their compelling vision.”

Experience Plus Connections

Mulally's appointment just weeks after Google unveiled its plans for a so-called driverless car, a vehicle the company said will “designed to operate safely and autonomously without requiring human intervention.”

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As the industry web site Motor Authority notes, Mulally's automotive background and Detroit connections could prove very useful regarding some other Google ventures – especially as Google has spent several years lobbying automakers to include its Android and Auto Link systems into their production vehicles.

'An Inspired Move'

Analysts, meanwhile, are hailing Mulally's appointment as a great fit for Google and its future plans. “Alan Mulally is a talented CEO with a proven track record in two industries," Karl Brauer, a senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, told Benzinga. 

"He’d be a valuable addition to any company," he continued, "and he can provide Google with guidance across multiple verticals. However, his experience in the transportation industry might be his biggest asset as the Internet giant extends its reach into the world of personal mobility.”

“This is really an inspired move,” Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale University School of Management, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “Mulally has a great deal to bring to Google. He’s an engineer’s engineer who has a great feel for consumer product innovation. This is a way to let us know that there’s no limit to the scope and scale of where Google is going.”

Ford Cred

Mulally stepped down as Ford CEO on July 1. He is credited with keeping the motor company afloat during its low point during the recession.

“Alan deservedly will be long remembered for engineering one of the most successful business turnarounds in history,” Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a press statement at the time. “Under Alan’s leadership, Ford not only survived the global economic crisis, it emerged as one of the world’s strongest auto companies.”