I am sad to be reporting the death of one
of the greatest Chief Executives it was my good fortune to work with, Sir
Nicholas Scheele. I served with Jaguar from 1977 until 1994, and Nick was
Chairman between 1992 and 1999.
We had many memorable meetings, and I
admired him greatly for his humility, integrity and decency. He was one of
those rare CEOs able to make difficult decisions, which would be accepted with
candor and realism. He never raised his voice to make a point, his views simply
resonated with everyone – workers and management alike.
He dragged Jaguar Cars back from
extinction, and was always a man thoroughly committed to the task at hand. When
Bill Ford asked him to return to Detroit and take over the reins of Ford Motor
Company, it was Nick who inspired the “Back to Basics” approach to help Ford
shed unprofitable businesses and lay the groundwork for what later became “The
One Ford Policy” under later Chairman, Alan Mulally.
I enjoyed a close personal relationship
with him and his wife Ros, meeting him several times after he retired in 2005. In January 1996, after I left Jaguar, we lost a close friend and colleague, David Boole, Jaguar’s
Director of Public Relations. Within hours of news of his passing Nick called
me personally in Australia to pass on the news.
Nick Scheele was one of the finest men to
have been among us, and I grieve his passing with great sadness, but also
appreciation for his skill, humanity and sincerity.
I reprint the valedictory and photo
published in the Birmingham Post, as it best sums up some of Nick’s many other
accomplishments outside the auto industry.
“Tributes have been paid to
former Jaguar and Ford boss Sir Nick Scheele, who died on July 18.
Sir Nick, aged 70, was CEO of
Jaguar Cars from 1992 until 1999 and later served as president and
chief operating officer at Ford, retiring in 2005.
He has been hailed as the man
responsible for saving Jaguar in the early 1990s when the Midland car-maker
faced tough times and was racking-up heavy losses.
Sir Nick also raised hundreds of
thousands of pounds to help children in Coventry and Warwickshire.
He launched the Coventry Kids
Committee in 1993, when he was who was chairman and chief executive of Jaguar
Cars, with the aim of raising £400,000 in three years to build a new NSPCC
centre in Coventry.
By the time three years had
elapsed Sir Nick had raised nearly £500,000 - allowing the NSPCC to build Boole
House in the city centre.
He was knighted in 2001 for
services to exports and was made chancellor of the University of Warwick in
2002.
Ford’s executive chairman Bill
Ford said in a statement: “Not only did Nick help us overcome many challenges
at the time, he mended relationships with our dealers, our suppliers and our
employees, and set the stage for many of today’s leaders who are moving us
forward.
“Nick Scheele was an outstanding
leader whose global experience and passion for our products served Ford Motor
Company at a critical time.”
He is survived by wife Ros
children Paul, Hannah and Jim and five grandchildren.”
Sir Nicholas & Lady Scheele |
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