Fording New Waters: More Leadership Changes at Ford

Following the departure of former Ford CEO Mark Fields and the appointment of Jim Hackett to the position, Ford is continuing to revamp its leadership team. Behind the bombshell news of Fields’s ousting and Hackett’s welcoming were the appointments of Jim Farley, Joe Hinrichs, and Marcy Klevorn to the respective roles of executive vice president and president for global markets, executive vice president and president for global operations, and executive vice president and president for the Ford Smart Mobility subsidiary.

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Now Ford is revealing more about the individuals who will report to this quartet of executives. Notably, Raj Nair (photo above) now holds the position of executive vice president and president of Ford North America, a good sign if you ask us because Nair notably served time on the engineering team for the 2005 Ford GT supercar and was a key figure in developing the latest GT. He also played major roles in performance products such as the Mustang, the Focus RS, and the F-150 Raptor. While autonomy may be the future of the automotive industry, Nair’s new role gives us hope that Ford’s North American operations won’t completely forfeit enjoyment behind the wheel on the way to our inevitable self-driving future.

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Helping shape that future will be Sherif Marakby, who will serve as the VP of autonomous vehicles and electrification. Marakby rejoins Ford after jumping ship last year to take on the role of vice president of global vehicle programs at Uber. Both men will report to Jim Farley, with Nair’s role becoming effective as of June 1 and Marakby’s as of June 12.

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Meanwhile, Nair’s old job, executive vice president of global product development, now will be occupied by Hau Thai-Tang. He will report to Joe Hinrichs beginning June 1. Thai-Thang is no amateur in the world of product development, either, as he’s served more than a quarter-century as a member of Ford’s product-development team, eventually helping bring to fruition the 2005 Mustang as the vehicle’s chief engineer.

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• How Silicon Valley Spurred Bill Ford Jr. to Replace His CEO

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• Ford Says a Fully Electric SUV with 300 Miles of Range Is Coming by 2020

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• Ford Promises Fully Autonomous Cars by 2021

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Assisting Marcy Klevorn in shaping Ford’s future in the mobility industry are Jeff Lemmer and Neil Schloss. Lemmer takes on the role of vice president and chief operating officer for information technology, while Schloss will serve as the vice president and chief financial officer of Ford’s mobility program. Both are career employees at Ford, with Lemmer’s appointment effective as of June 1 and Schloss’s as of August 1.

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