Hired as Ford’s CEO in 2006, Alan Mulally has often been credited with saving the car company when he replaced Henry Ford’s great-grandson. The highly admired aeronautical engineer spent a chunk of his career at Boeing where he excelled as its CEO. He is very well regarded for having kept Ford out of bankruptcy by convincing bankers to refinance the group just one year before the recession hit. Through efficient teamwork he led the company last year to its best net profit results in over a decade, all the more impressive in today’s climate. An efficient listener, Mulally introduced leaner operations and initiated plausible cost-cutting plans.