Ford says two of the company founder’s great-great-grandchildren are preparing to fill seats on the automaker’s board of directors in a continuation of the Ford family’s central role in the company’s operations.
The nominations of Alexandra Ford English, 33, the daughter of Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, and Henry Ford III, 40, the son of current Ford Motor director Edsel B. Ford II, who plans to retire, also mark a generational shift at the company.
“Henry and Alexandra are both passionate and capable young business leaders who care deeply about Ford Motor Company and the welfare of our customers, employees, dealers and shareholders,” Bill Ford says. “I am pleased and proud that we have a new generation of Ford family leaders who believe in serving the company and ensuring it remains a successful and positive force in the world for years to come.”
Both board candidates are great-great-grandchildren of Henry Ford, who founded Ford Motor in 1903. Their nominations to the board continue the Ford family’s nearly 118 years of active involvement with and stewardship of the company, the company says, just as the elevation of their parents to the board did following the 1987 death of Henry Ford II, Henry Ford’s grandson.
During World War II, a then-youthful Henry Ford II took control of the company from his grandfather, who had made the company into one of the world’s most profitable enterprises and one which literally changed the world with its production of inexpensive cars that required not only enormous amounts of steel, rubber and gasoline but also paved roads and garages and expanded the horizons of millions of people.
The company went public for the first time in 1956. The family kept control through the issuance of a special class of stock that carried extra voting power and could only be wielded by family members.
The voting power of family stock has been challenged by outside investors is recent years but so far, the Ford family’s interests have prevailed. The two new directors from the Ford family will stand for election to the company’s board of directors at its annual shareholders meeting on May 13 and are certain to win election.
Both new directors, while junior in rank, already hold sensitive posts inside the company.
Alexandra Ford English is a director in Corporate Strategy, responsible for enterprise, connectivity and digital network strategic plans. Before that, she was director of Market and Operations for Ford Autonomous Vehicles and was responsible for the successful deployment of Ford’s autonomous vehicle business in Miami; Austin, TX; and Washington, DC.
Ford English also is Ford’s representative on the board of directors of electric-vehicle maker Rivian, in which Ford owns an equity interest. Prior to joining Ford in 2017, Ford English ran merchandising divisions for Tory Burch in New York City and Gap Inc. in San Francisco. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Henry Ford III, 40 is a director in Ford Investor Relations, a sensitive diplomatic position given the company’s relatively low share price and strained relations with Wall Street and the wider investment community. Since joining the company in 2006, he has held roles in labor relations, purchasing, marketing and sales, and corporate strategy. He was part of the team that negotiated the landmark 2008 master labor agreement with the UAW.
Later, as global marketing manager for Ford Performance, Henry Ford III played a key role in the launch of the latest Ford GT and supported the company’s successful return to racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
The company also says Edsel Ford II, 72, (pictured, left) is retiring from the board in May. He was elected to Ford’s board at age 39 on Jan. 18, 1988, together with his cousin, Bill Ford, then 30. He is currently a member of the board’s finance committee and sustainability and innovation committee.
“It has been my honor and privilege to serve on the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors for more than three decades,” Edsel Ford II says. “Our great company has been tested in many ways, not least of which it experienced in the past year, and I’m proud we have not only survived and thrived, but also held tight to the values and principles that make Ford a unique American icon.
“I am especially pleased that as I step down from the board, a new generation of Ford family members is poised to continue this legacy of service.”
