Governance

To Ford, governance includes more than simply fiduciary responsibility to shareholders; the concept also encompasses accountabilities regarding our impact on the world and responsibilities toward a diverse set of stakeholders.

Our sound governance and management systems enable us to operate in a transparent and accountable way and to provide effective oversight of all our operations. Our high ethical standards – formalized in company policies and demonstrated by managers at all levels – help us translate our aspirations into action. And importantly, our sustainability-related structures, processes and management systems are integrated into our core business processes.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2013 and early 2014, Ford received a number of awards and recognitions for our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts and governance practices.

In 2014, for example, Ford was honored by the Ethisphere Institute – for the fifth year in a row – as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. The Ethisphere Institute’s proprietary rating system assesses companies in five core areas: ethics and compliance program; reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and responsibility; and culture of ethics.

Also in 2014, Ford was included for the first time on EuroNext Vigeo’s World 120 list, which recognizes companies for their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. The rating process for this list includes assessment against 330 ESG indicators. Ford also continued to be listed on EuroNext Vigeo’s list of the top 50 U.S. companies for ESG performance.

Ford’s additional 2014 recognitions included listing on Maclean’s Sustainalytics inventory of the 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada, as well as on the FTSE4Good Index Series. The FTSE4Good Index Series includes companies meeting stringent environmental, social and governance criteria.

In 2013, Ford ranked number 2 on Interbrand’s list of Best Global Green Brands, up from number 15 in 2012. The rankings are determined via an analysis of 83 submetrics across six pillars: governance, stakeholder engagement, operations, supply chain, transportation and logistics, products and services. Also, each brand was evaluated based on how the public perception of its environmental sustainability initiatives matched up to its actual performance.

In addition, Ford was chosen for inclusion in the Tomorrow’s Value Rating for 2013. Tomorrow’s Value Rating analyzes the extent to which companies who are recognized as “sustainability leaders” actually integrate sustainability management into their core business strategy.

Ford was also named one of Fast Company magazine’s World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2013, and was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America. In late 2013, Covalence EthicalQuote, a reputation index tracking 2,800 of the world’s largest companies on corporate responsibility-related topics, named Ford one of the top 20 most “buzzed about” companies, as measured by news headlines pertaining to sustainability and ethics.

Two Ford vehicles – the Ford Taurus and Ford Flex – were named by the Automotive Science Group (ASG) as among the “Best 5” in their class for the 2013 model year, as measured by combined social, environmental and economic performance scores. The ASG assessed more than 1,400 U.S. light vehicles for model year 2013, using a proprietary automotive life cycle assessment platform, the Automotive Performance Index. The Index incorporates social, environmental and economic performance analyses.

Finally, we were also recognized for our sustainability reporting in 2013. First, an independent survey published by KPMG ranked Ford among the 10 leading global companies for corporate responsibility reporting. The KPMG ranking assessed companies’ reporting on seven key criteria: strategy, risk and opportunity; materiality; targets and indicators; suppliers and the value chain; stakeholder engagement; governance of corporate responsibility; and transparency and balance.

Second, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development highlighted Ford’s sustainability reporting twice in its own publication on the effectiveness of such reporting: once for disclosures relating to governance and accountability, and again for acknowledging trends and challenges and discussing how those may affect future growth.

We also won several awards related to diversity in 2013 and 2014. And, our vehicles and engines won several “green” awards.