Ranked #38 in 2001.
Played Park Commissioner Lido in the 44th episode of Miami Vice, in 1986.
Considered running for the US presidency in 1988.
Iacocca was responsible for one of the great turnarounds in business history. Taking over Chrysler Corporation in 1978 when it was on its knees, Iacocca secured controversial federal loans, concessions from unions, and put himself forward as the face of the company, turning himself into a TV celebrity and creating an image of a modern CEO. Many other companies tried to emulate his success as a pitchman. Prior to Chrysler, Iacocca had made a name for himself at Ford, when he gained national recognition with his “56 for 56” campaign, which offered loans on 1956 models for repayments of $56 per month.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Iacocca earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and joined Ford Motor Company in 1946. After achieving great success in sales and marketing, where he moved to from the engineering division, by 1960 he was vice-president and general manager of the Ford Division. By 1970, he was president of the company but clashes with founder Henry Ford II led to him leaving in 1978. Iacocca joined an ailing Chrysler and began rebuilding the company from the ground up, affecting a remarkably quick turnaround. After leaving Chrysler, in 1997 he founded Iacocca, a company that pioneered the first popular electric bike in the USA.
Iacocca: An Autobiography (with William Novak, Bantam Dell, 1984); Talking Straight (with Sonny Kleinfeld, Bantam Books, 1988); Where Have all the Leaders Gone? (with Catherine Whitney, Simon & Shuster, 2007).
“An icon of the automobile industry and business turnaround sensation.”
Stuart Crainer & Des Dearlove, Thinkers50
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