A Conversation with Retired Ford CEO Jim Hackett

Jim Hackett, a native of London, Ohio, was a special advisor to Ford Motor Company and retired as Ford President and CEO.  He served from May 2017 to October 2020 and was also a member of the company’s board of directors.  He retired from Ford on April 1, 2021.

Under Hackett’s leadership, Ford moved aggressively into the new era of smart and electric vehicles and drove a deeper focus on user – centered design methods.  At the same time, Ford improved the fitness of the base business, restructuring operations, invigorating the product portfolio, and reducing bureaucracy.

Hackett also served as vice chairman of Steelcase, the global leader in the office furniture industry, from 2014 to 2015.  He retired as President and CEO in February 2014, after having spent 20 years leading the Grand Rapids based office furniture company.

As a consumer-focused visionary in the office furniture industry, Hackett is credited with guiding Steelcase to becoming a global leader.  During his 30 years there, he helped transform the office furniture company from traditional manufacturer to an industry innovator broadening the definition of work to include education and healthcare.  Hackett is recognized for forecasting that the office landscape would shift away from cubicles to open space team environments, which enabled new age work cultures to emerge.

Hackett was interim director of athletics at the University of Michigan from October 31, 2014 to March 11, 2016 where he led the search for a permanent athletic director appointed in January 2016. He played center on the University of Michigan football team prior to graduating from the University with a bachelor’s degree in 1977.

Nancy Kramer, Global Chief Evangelist, IBM iX, will serve as host.

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