Not a Word from Bill Ford?
Ford Motor Company today announced changes to its senior management team as it struggles with numerous sexual harassment charges, electrification and mobility business shifts and Silicon Valley competitors that threaten its future.
With a couple of exceptions, the management team is y-chromosome male as is the norm at automakers. Notable was the lack of Bill Ford comments in the release? (See: Ford Dropping Car Business – Reallocating $7B in Capital, Ford Places $1B Bet in Argo AI on Autonomous Vehicles)
Latest Ford Lineup
- Kumar Galhotra named group vice president and president, Ford North America
- Joy Falotico named group vice president, Lincoln and Chief Marketing Officer
- David McClelland named vice president of Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Credit Company
- Stuart Rowley named vice president and chief operating officer, Ford North America
- John Lawler named vice president, Strategy, Ford Motor Company
- Cathy O’Callaghan named vice president and corporate controller, CFO, Global Markets
Kumar Galhotra, 52, is appointed group vice president and president, Ford North America, effective March 1 repainting Raj Nair who was abruptly ousted late yesterday. Galholtra will be responsible for leading all aspects of Ford’s North American business. He will report to Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president and president, Global Markets. (Me Too? Raj Nair, President North America, Fired by Ford) Galhotra, a 29-year veteran of the company, has served in a variety of senior-level engineering and product strategy positions. In addition, since 2014, he has led Lincoln Motor Company, in a desperate attempt to revive the luxury brand’s model lineup and developing a better customer experience. He also has been serving as the company’s chief marketing officer since last year.
Reporting to Galhotra will be Stuart Rowley, 50, who is named vice president and chief operating officer, Ford North America, effective March 1. Rowley, who was previously vice president, Strategy, Ford Motor Company, will be responsible for driving the redesign of the North American business to improve its overall fitness.
Joy Falotico, 50, is named group vice president, Lincoln Motor Company and chief marketing officer, succeeding Galhotra. Her appointment is effective March 1. In this role, Falotico reports to Farley and is responsible for remaking Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand. She oversees all Lincoln operations globally, including product development; marketing, sales and service; and all people supporting the brand. She will also lead the company’s Marketing function and efforts to “connect more closely with customers by identifying new opportunities to serve them.” Falotico will remain chairman of the Ford Motor Credit Company board of directors.
Since October 2016, Falotico has been group vice president and chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Credit Company, a global automotive financial services company with $151 billion in receivables as Ford’s second-largest profit contributor. In 29 years at Ford Credit, she has served in a number of executive positions around the world, including leading Marketing and Sales, working side-by-side with Ford to support sales and dealers, and strengthening consumer and dealer service.
Succeeding Falotico is David McClelland, who is named vice president of Ford Motor Company and CEO, Ford Credit. A 25-year veteran of Ford Credit, McClelland, 48, has served in a variety of leadership positions, including most recently as executive vice president, Marketing and Asia Pacific. McClelland oversaw Ford Credit’s growth in China, as well as Ford Credit’s move into new fintech and mobility initiatives, such the Canvas vehicle subscription service and online financing. His appointment is effective March 1 and he will report to Bob Shanks, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
John Lawler is appointed vice president, Strategy, succeeding Rowley. Lawler, 51, who joined Ford in 1990, brings a background in finance and general management into the strategy role, including his current position as Ford’s corporate controller. Lawler also previously served as chairman and CEO, Ford China. He will report to Shanks in the new role effective March 1.
Cathy O’Callaghan, 49, is named vice president and corporate controller, and CFO, Global Markets, succeeding Lawler. O’Callaghan, who joined Ford in 1990, brings finance experience from having held several senior positions globally. She is currently chief financial officer, Ford South America. O’Callaghan will report to Shanks in her role as corporate controller and Farley in her role as CFO, Global Markets. Her appointment is effective June 1 and her replacement will be the subject of a future announcement.
