Ford CEO to headline at CES 2010

To further highlight the convergence of tech and cars, Ford chairman and CEO Alan Mulally will be the featured speaker on the opening day of the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced earlier this week.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer looking suitably cheesy next to Ford CEO Alan Mulally at CES 2009.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

His keynote address will open the show the morning of Thursday, 7 January. Although it's not Mulally's first time at the Las Vegas event — he also spoke this year — it will be his debut as the main keynote speaker. Recent opening keynotes have been given by Sony's Sir Howard Stringer and Comcast's Brian Roberts.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will speak the night before, as he did last year, taking over the slot traditionally given to Bill Gates.

Although he's not a technology executive, per se, Ford has made it a point to come to CES with lots of gadgets in the past. This year looks to be no different, as Mulally is scheduled to talk up in-car tech like GPS navigation, location-based services and video, according to the CEA.