Andre Yoskowitz
6 Dec 2013 16:42
Ford CEO Alan Mulally has committed to stay with the automaker until at least the end of 2014, says the company's board director, ending much of the speculation that the executive would jump ship to take the helm at tech giant Microsoft following the retirement of Steve Ballmer.
Since Ballmer's announcement earlier this year, most reports had slated Mulally as a favorite for the position as far as external candidates went.
Mulally, when asked, said he preferred to talk about the new global Mustang and that "there is no change to the plan," of him staying with the carmaker. He added, when asked about hearing his name repeatedly for the job: "I think that people are looking for leadership, and I can understand that, but I love serving Ford."
Ballmer, who was with Microsoft for over 30 years and replaced founder Bill Gates as CEO, will be stepping down by next August but the board is looking to replace him quicker than that.
Other 'top' choices include Stephen Elop, the former CEO of Nokia, Microsoft's business development boss Tony Bates (former CEO of Skype) and Satya Nadella, the head of cloud and enterprise.