Donald Eugene Petersen (September 4, 1926 – April 24, 2024) was an American businessman who was employed by the Ford Motor Company for 40 years, most notably as its chief executive officer from 1985 to 1990.

[4][citation needed] Petersen stepped down as president, and became chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company on February 1, 1985.

These differences were largely due to Petersen's purchase of the bankrupt Jaguar Cars company after a bidding war between Ford and General Motors.

In this case, the press did not have the story straight, as Petersen had indicated his plan to retire, before the decision was made to acquire Jaguar.

In the years since, Ford contributed major managerial resources to and several times recapitalized Jaguar with no subsequent return of investment.

[6] Petersen and his wife, Jo Anne, resided in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Seattle, Washington; and Montecito, California.