COMPANIES When Ford revealed this month that it had made a surprise profit in the third quarter, some at Boeing might have secretly wished they had never lost the skills of Alan Mulally, the carmaker’s chief executive.
Mr Mulally was hired as a junior engineer by Boeing after graduating from the University of Kansas in 1969 and worked his way up to become head of the commercial aircraft business, earning plaudits for his stewardship of projects such as the 777 and for steering the unit through the 2001-02 downturn.
