Trotman of Osmotherly, Alexander James Trotman, Baron

▪ 2006

      British business executive (b. July 22, 1933, Isleworth, Middlesex, Eng.—d. April 25, 2005, Yorkshire, Eng.), rose through the corporate ranks at Ford Motor Co. from his start as a management trainee in London in 1955 to become (1993) the giant automaker's first non-American chairman and CEO. During his tenure at the top, Trotman supervised the rebirth of the Mustang, oversaw the growing popularity of sport-utility vehicles, and directed a consolidation and restructuring plan that contributed to one of Ford's most prosperous periods. After stepping down in 1998, he returned to Britain, where he was chairman (2002–03) of Imperial Chemical Industries. Trotman was knighted in 1996 and was made a life peer in 1999.

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