James Hackett

James Hackett
Born	James Patrick Hackett 28 12, 1955
Birthplace	Columbus, Ohio, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Employer	Ford Motor Company (retired)
Known for	CEO of Steelcase (1994–2014), CEO of Ford Motor Company (2017–2020)
Education	Harvard Business School (MBA)

James Patrick Hackett (born December 28, 1955) is an American business executive who served as the president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company from May 2017 to October 2020, and previously as president and chief executive officer of Steelcase, the world's largest office furniture manufacturer, from 1994 to 2014. A figure whose career spanned the intersection of industrial design, corporate strategy, and automotive manufacturing, Hackett became known for his emphasis on organizational culture, design thinking, and long-term strategic restructuring. His appointment at Ford came at a pivotal moment for the automaker, as the company sought to navigate the emerging landscape of electric vehicles, autonomous driving technology, and mobility services. Prior to his tenure at Ford, Hackett also served as interim athletic director at the University of Michigan and held board positions at several major corporations.

Early Life

James Patrick Hackett was born on December 28, 1955, in Columbus, Ohio. He grew up in the Columbus metropolitan area and attended high school in the region. From an early age, Hackett demonstrated interest in both athletics and academics, participating in sports while maintaining strong academic performance. He went on to attend the University of Michigan, where he played on the varsity football team as an offensive lineman under head coach Bo Schembechler. Hackett's experience as a student-athlete at Michigan would prove formative, instilling values of teamwork, discipline, and institutional loyalty that he would carry throughout his professional life. His connection to the University of Michigan remained strong in subsequent decades and would later lead to his service to the university in an administrative capacity.

Education

Hackett earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, where he was both a student and a varsity football player. He subsequently pursued graduate education in business, earning a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. His education at Harvard exposed him to advanced concepts in corporate strategy, organizational behavior, and management theory that would inform his approach to leadership in the decades that followed.

Career

Steelcase (1981–2014)

Hackett joined Steelcase, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based office furniture manufacturer, in 1981. Over the course of more than three decades with the company, he rose through its ranks, holding a series of increasingly senior positions in sales, marketing, and general management. In 1994, at the age of 38, Hackett was named president and chief executive officer of Steelcase, making him one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company at the time.

During his two-decade tenure as CEO, Hackett oversaw significant changes at Steelcase. He championed the concept of "design thinking" as a strategic tool, arguing that the physical workspace had a direct and measurable impact on worker productivity, creativity, and collaboration. Under his leadership, Steelcase invested heavily in research into workplace design and human behavior, positioning the company not merely as a furniture manufacturer but as a knowledge leader in the science of work environments. The company expanded its global footprint and diversified its product lines during this period.

Hackett also guided Steelcase through challenging economic cycles, including the dot-com bust of the early 2000s and the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, both of which significantly affected the commercial office furniture industry. He implemented restructuring programs that included plant closures, workforce reductions, and a refocusing of the company's product portfolio on higher-margin offerings. In 1998, he oversaw the company's initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to his operational duties, Hackett became a prominent voice in discussions about the future of work, frequently speaking at conferences and contributing to publications on topics related to organizational design, innovation, and the changing nature of the workplace. He stepped down as CEO of Steelcase in 2014 but remained chairman of the board for a period thereafter.

University of Michigan Interim Athletic Director (2014–2016)

Following his departure from Steelcase, Hackett was appointed interim athletic director at the University of Michigan in October 2014. The appointment came at a turbulent time for Michigan athletics; the football program, historically one of the most successful in college football, had experienced several years of declining performance under previous coaching staffs.

One of Hackett's most consequential decisions during his tenure as interim athletic director was the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as head football coach in December 2014. Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback who had achieved success as a head coach in both college football and the National Football League, was widely seen as a transformative hire for the program. Hackett's role in recruiting and securing Harbaugh was viewed as a significant achievement during his time leading the athletic department.

Hackett served as interim athletic director until 2016, when Warde Manuel was hired as the permanent athletic director. During his time in the role, Hackett applied many of the same management principles he had developed during his corporate career, including an emphasis on organizational culture, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement.

Ford Motor Company (2017–2020)

Appointment as CEO

On May 22, 2017, Ford Motor Company announced that Hackett would succeed Mark Fields as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. The appointment was made by Ford's executive chairman, Bill Ford, who had worked with Hackett on the Ford board of directors and on Ford's subsidiary Ford Smart Mobility. Hackett had joined Ford's board of directors in 2013 and had been serving as chairman of Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary focused on autonomous vehicles, ride-sharing, and other emerging mobility technologies, since March 2016.

The leadership change came at a time of significant pressure on Ford. The company's stock price had declined substantially during Fields's tenure, and investors were increasingly concerned about Ford's ability to compete in a rapidly evolving automotive landscape that included the rise of electric vehicles, autonomous driving technology, and new mobility business models being pursued by both technology companies and rival automakers. Bill Ford and the board determined that Hackett's background in design thinking, organizational restructuring, and strategic innovation made him the right leader to guide Ford through what was expected to be a period of fundamental transformation in the global automotive industry.

Strategic Initiatives

Upon taking office, Hackett articulated a vision for Ford centered on what he termed "fitness" — a comprehensive effort to improve the company's operational efficiency, reduce bureaucracy, and redirect resources toward growth areas including electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and connected vehicle technologies. He initiated a broad restructuring program that aimed to reduce costs by billions of dollars through a combination of workforce reductions, the elimination of underperforming vehicle models, and the streamlining of global operations.

One of Hackett's most notable strategic decisions was the announcement in April 2018 that Ford would discontinue most of its traditional sedan models in North America, including the Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus, and Ford Fiesta, retaining only the Ford Mustang among its car lineup. The company would instead focus its North American product portfolio on trucks, SUVs, and crossovers, which commanded higher profit margins and were in stronger consumer demand. This decision was seen as a significant strategic bet on the continuation of consumer preference trends that had been building for several years.

Hackett also oversaw the development and announcement of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford's first purpose-built electric vehicle aimed at the mass market, which was revealed in November 2019. The vehicle represented a major investment in electrification and signaled Ford's commitment to competing in the growing electric vehicle segment. Additionally, under Hackett's leadership, Ford announced a strategic alliance with Volkswagen in 2019, which included cooperation on electric vehicles, autonomous driving technology, and commercial vehicles.

In the area of autonomous driving, Hackett continued to oversee Ford's investment in Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle technology company in which Ford had made a significant investment. The partnership with Volkswagen eventually extended to include joint investment in Argo AI.

Restructuring and Cost Reduction

Hackett's restructuring program, which he referred to as creating a "more fit" company, included the elimination of approximately 7,000 salaried positions globally, representing about 10 percent of Ford's global salaried workforce. The restructuring extended to Ford's international operations, with significant changes to the company's presence in Europe, South America, and other markets where profitability had been challenging.

In Europe, Ford announced the closure of several plants and a reduction in its workforce as part of an effort to return the region to profitability. In South America, the company also implemented cost-cutting measures and restructured its product offerings. These actions were part of a broader effort to improve Ford's global profitability, which had been under pressure from a combination of rising commodity costs, trade policy uncertainty, and intensifying competition.

Criticism and Challenges

Despite these strategic moves, Hackett's tenure at Ford was not without criticism. Some investors and analysts expressed frustration with what they perceived as a slow pace of execution on the company's transformation plans. Ford's stock price continued to face pressure during much of Hackett's tenure, and the company's financial performance was mixed, with strong results in its truck and SUV business offset by challenges in other areas.

Hackett's communication style also drew scrutiny. His frequent use of abstract concepts and terminology drawn from design thinking and organizational theory was sometimes criticized as lacking the specificity and clarity that investors and employees expected from the CEO of a major automaker. Critics suggested that while Hackett's strategic vision may have been sound in its broad outlines, the execution of that vision needed to proceed more rapidly given the pace of change in the automotive industry.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 presented additional challenges. Ford temporarily shut down its manufacturing operations in March 2020 in response to the pandemic and redirected some of its manufacturing capacity to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment. The pandemic caused significant disruption to Ford's business operations, supply chain, and financial performance.

Departure

On October 1, 2020, Ford announced that Hackett would retire as CEO and would be succeeded by Jim Farley, who had been serving as Ford's chief operating officer. Hackett transitioned to a special advisory role to support Farley during the leadership transition. Bill Ford expressed gratitude for Hackett's service, crediting him with laying the strategic groundwork for Ford's future direction, including the company's investments in electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.

Hackett's departure was characterized by the company as a planned transition that reflected the natural progression of Ford's transformation strategy from the planning phase to the execution phase. Farley, who had deep operational experience in the automotive industry, was seen as well-suited to accelerate the implementation of the strategic framework that Hackett had established.

Board Service and Advisory Roles

Throughout his career, Hackett served on the boards of directors of several major corporations and organizations. In addition to his service on the Ford board of directors, he served on the boards of other publicly traded companies and nonprofit institutions. His board service reflected his reputation as a strategic thinker with expertise in organizational design, innovation, and corporate transformation.

Personal Life

James Hackett has maintained a relatively private personal life throughout his career. He and his wife have resided in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area, reflecting his long association with Steelcase and the West Michigan business community. Hackett's ties to the University of Michigan have remained strong throughout his life; his service as interim athletic director represented a continuation of a relationship with the university that began during his undergraduate years as a student-athlete.

Hackett has been described by colleagues and associates as a thoughtful and deliberate leader who favors long-term strategic thinking over short-term tactical decision-making. His management philosophy, shaped by his exposure to design thinking and organizational theory, emphasizes the importance of creating environments and organizational structures that enable innovation and collaboration.

Recognition

During his career, Hackett received recognition from various business and industry organizations. His leadership at Steelcase was recognized for its innovative approach to workplace design and corporate strategy. His appointment as CEO of Ford Motor Company was itself a notable achievement, placing him at the helm of one of the world's largest and most iconic automotive manufacturers.

Hackett's advocacy for design thinking as a business strategy earned him recognition in the design and innovation communities. He was frequently invited to speak at business conferences and academic institutions on topics related to the future of work, organizational design, and strategic innovation. His emphasis on the relationship between physical environments and human performance contributed to broader conversations about workplace design and its impact on productivity and well-being.

Legacy

James Hackett's legacy in American business is defined by two principal tenures: his long leadership of Steelcase and his transformative but brief period as CEO of Ford Motor Company. At Steelcase, he established himself as one of the leading proponents of design thinking in corporate strategy and oversaw the company's evolution from a traditional furniture manufacturer into a research-driven organization focused on the science of work environments.

At Ford, Hackett's legacy is more complex. While his tenure was marked by significant strategic decisions — including the elimination of sedans from Ford's North American lineup, the launch of the Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle program, and the establishment of partnerships with Volkswagen and Argo AI — it was also characterized by investor frustration with the pace of change and by the unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the strategic initiatives Hackett set in motion, including Ford's aggressive push into electric vehicles and the restructuring of its global operations, continued to shape the company's direction under his successor, Jim Farley.

Hackett's career also illustrates the increasingly fluid boundaries between different sectors of American institutional life. His movement from corporate leadership at Steelcase to university athletics administration at Michigan and then to the CEO position at Ford reflected a career path that drew on a consistent set of skills and principles — organizational design, strategic planning, and cultural transformation — applied across very different institutional contexts.