The global automotive industry’s Executive of the Year Navigator Award is presented to William Clay Ford Jr, who is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company.

He joined Ford Motor Company in 1979 and has since then had several major positions throughout the organisation. In 2001 he took over as CEO and has served as chairman since 1998.

The event is presented by DNV Certification and is sponsored by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). The award nominating committee is composed of automotive industry media, various industry analysts and automotive supplier CEOs. DNV Certification’s Director of automotive services North America, Robert Djurovic, is the chairman of the nominating committee.

Djurovic says: "DNV is proud to present this event and the award to Mr. Ford. The audience of the award ceremony is composed of the top 200 senior executives in the global automotive industry. More importantly, the sponsorship of this event by the AIAG represents the very first time that the AIAG has partnered with a registrar in any event."

Awarded since 1964
The award was originally created by Automotive Industries magazine in 1964 to recognize leadership in the automotive industry.