Motor Company says the retirement of two global leaders. Bruce Hettle and Steve Biegun will result in management shuffles in Labor and Government Affairs.
Bruce Hettle, Ford group vice president of Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, will retire Oct. 1. Succeeding Hettle will be Gary Johnson, Ford vice president for North America Manufacturing.Steve Biegun, Ford vice president of International Government Affairs, to retire Aug. 31. Curt Magleby to lead Ford Government and Community Relations on an interim basis (translation Ford is searching for a replacement – probably an outsider.) Michael Sheridan will lead International Government Affairs.
Gary Johnson, 54, will take leadership of Ford’s Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs activities, overseeing the global operations of 67 assembly, stamping and powertrain plants. Johnson is also responsible for worldwide engineering support for stamping, vehicle and powertrain manufacturing, as well as material planning, logistics, the Ford production system, and labor affairs. He will report to Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president, Global Operations.
A 32-year Ford veteran, Johnson has served in a variety of roles, including as vice president, Manufacturing, for both North America and Asia Pacific. While leading manufacturing in Asia, Johnson oversaw the construction of 10 new manufacturing facilities in the region – seven in China, two in India and one in Thailand – the Ford’s largest expansion in 50 years.
Curt Magleby, 59, retiring vice president of U.S. Government Relations joined Ford in 1988 and has served in a variety of automotive and public policy roles around the world.
Reporting to Magleby, Michael Sheridan, 55, will lead Ford’s International Government Affairs, working with governments – some of them demonstrably corrupt – around the globe, as well as overseeing the Ford’s trade strategy and political risk assessment. (Welcome to the Trump amusement park with circuses, clowns, and crooks riding a variety of roller coasters simultaneously.) Sheridan has served in a variety of roles in both Washington, D.C., and Canada in his 31 years with Ford.
Sheridan most recently served as director of Global Trade Strategy and Policy leading Ford’s global trade strategy as well as the government relations teams in Canada, Mexico and South America.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Ford Retirements Set Off String of Exec Changes
Motor Company says the retirement of two global leaders. Bruce Hettle and Steve Biegun will result in management shuffles in Labor and Government Affairs.
Bruce Hettle, Ford group vice president of Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, will retire Oct. 1. Succeeding Hettle will be Gary Johnson, Ford vice president for North America Manufacturing.Steve Biegun, Ford vice president of International Government Affairs, to retire Aug. 31. Curt Magleby to lead Ford Government and Community Relations on an interim basis (translation Ford is searching for a replacement – probably an outsider.) Michael Sheridan will lead International Government Affairs.
Gary Johnson, 54, will take leadership of Ford’s Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs activities, overseeing the global operations of 67 assembly, stamping and powertrain plants. Johnson is also responsible for worldwide engineering support for stamping, vehicle and powertrain manufacturing, as well as material planning, logistics, the Ford production system, and labor affairs. He will report to Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president, Global Operations.
A 32-year Ford veteran, Johnson has served in a variety of roles, including as vice president, Manufacturing, for both North America and Asia Pacific. While leading manufacturing in Asia, Johnson oversaw the construction of 10 new manufacturing facilities in the region – seven in China, two in India and one in Thailand – the Ford’s largest expansion in 50 years.
Curt Magleby, 59, retiring vice president of U.S. Government Relations joined Ford in 1988 and has served in a variety of automotive and public policy roles around the world.
Reporting to Magleby, Michael Sheridan, 55, will lead Ford’s International Government Affairs, working with governments – some of them demonstrably corrupt – around the globe, as well as overseeing the Ford’s trade strategy and political risk assessment. (Welcome to the Trump amusement park with circuses, clowns, and crooks riding a variety of roller coasters simultaneously.) Sheridan has served in a variety of roles in both Washington, D.C., and Canada in his 31 years with Ford.
Sheridan most recently served as director of Global Trade Strategy and Policy leading Ford’s global trade strategy as well as the government relations teams in Canada, Mexico and South America.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.