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Jim Farley appointed executive vice president and president, Europe,
Middle East and Africa
-
Stephen Odell appointed executive vice president, Global Marketing,
Sales and Service
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Nick Smither, group vice president and Chief Information Officer, has
elected to retire after 34-year career
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Marcy Klevorn named vice president and Chief Information Officer,
succeeding Smither and elected a Ford Motor Company officer
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Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment & Safety
Engineering, has elected to retire after 35-year career
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Kim Pittel named vice president, Sustainability, Environment & Safety
Engineering, succeeding Brown and elected a Ford Motor Company officer
Company Website:
http://corporate.ford.com/
DEARBORN, Mich. -- (Business Wire)
Ford Motor Company today is announcing a series of changes in its senior
leadership team as it continues to deliver the company’s One Ford plan
for profitable growth.
Jim Farley is appointed executive vice president and president of
Europe, Middle East and Africa. In parallel, Stephen Odell is appointed
executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service. Both will
continue to report to Mark Fields, Ford president and chief executive
officer.
“We are excited to see Jim and Stephen take on these new roles as they
bring unique skills, experience and fresh perspectives to these critical
positions,” said Fields. “These moves also underscore our commitment to
develop our senior leaders through deep experience within both our
business units and our global skill teams.”
Farley, 52, currently serves as executive vice president of Global
Marketing, Sales & Service, a position to which he was appointed in
2007. In this role, Farley has led the company’s drive to connect more
closely with customers through integrated global marketing, advertising,
digital communications, brand development and research. He also was
instrumental in leading the ongoing transformation of Lincoln, setting
it on a path for growth as a world-class luxury brand and customer
experience.
Before joining Ford, Farley was group vice president and general manager
of Toyota Motor Corporation’s Lexus luxury division. He spent more than
10 years in Marketing, Sales and Service leadership positions at Toyota,
serving in the United States and Europe, for the company’s Scion, Toyota
and Lexus brands.
In his new role, Farley will be responsible for continuing to lead and
accelerate Ford’s transformation in Europe, executing the One Ford plan
to achieve profitable growth through an unprecedented focus on new
products, a strong brand and increased cost efficiency. The move is
subject to immigration approval.
“Jim has done an excellent job improving our brand image around the
world,” said Fields. “Jim’s commitment and passion for building the Ford
and Lincoln brands have enabled us to connect with customers in new and
innovative ways. He will have an opportunity to apply that same passion
to build on the success of our products today in Europe and grow our
business in the Middle East and Africa regions.”
Odell, 59, has been leading the company’s European operations since 2010
and currently serves as executive vice president and president, Europe,
Middle East and Africa. Odell has been instrumental in leading the
development and implementation of Ford’s European transformation plan
and the strategic development of the company’s Middle East and Africa
operations.
In his new role leading the company’s Marketing, Sales and Service
organization, Odell will be focused on continuing to build the Ford and
Lincoln brands globally through innovative new digital communications
and transforming the retail experience for customers.
During his 34-year career at Ford, Odell served as president and CEO of
Volvo Car Corporation from 2008 to 2010 and led Marketing, Sales and
Service at Ford of Europe and at Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan, where
he was responsible for leading the successful “Zoom Zoom” marketing
campaign for Mazda.
“Under Stephen’s leadership, our European transformation plan is well
under way, and we are poised to profitably grow as the region emerges
from a long downturn,” said Fields. “Stephen also was instrumental in
turning around Volvo and Mazda by reinvigorating their product lines,
improving their brands and addressing cost and capacity issues. He
brings a wealth of global experience in marketing, sales and service to
his new assignment.”
Retirements and New Leaders
Ford also is announcing that Nick Smither, group vice president and
Chief Information Officer, has elected to retire after more than 34
years at Ford. Succeeding Smither will be Marcy Klevorn, who is elected
a Ford Motor Company officer and named vice president and Chief
Information Officer.
Throughout his career at Ford, Smither, 56, led the information
technology services function for North America, South America,
International Operations, the Premier Automotive Group and Mazda.
Smither also oversaw the development and implementation of Product
Development technology systems across the company. He was appointed to
his current position in 2008.
“The integrated IT approach that Nick brought to our teams has helped
Ford become a faster, more agile and more innovative company,” said
Fields. “By leveraging our global scale and standardizing Ford’s
technology blueprint across our regions, Nick has enabled the IT
function to drive efficiencies in every area of the business. We are
grateful for his passion and leadership during three decades with Ford
and congratulate him on his retirement.”
Succeeding Smither is Marcy Klevorn, currently director, Office of the
Chief Information Officer. She will report to Fields.
Klevorn, 55, will oversee the information technology services and
strategy for all of the company’s operations globally. She has spent her
31-year career in Information Technology with Ford, serving in a variety
of positions in The Americas, Ford of Europe and Ford Credit.
She currently is responsible for developing and driving Information
Technology’s global strategy, security, governance, operating model and
supplier management globally, as well as emerging technologies.
Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment & Safety
Engineering, also has elected to retire after more than 35 years at
Ford. Succeeding Brown will be Kim Pittel, who is elected a Ford Motor
Company officer and named vice president, Sustainability, Environment &
Safety Engineering.
Appointed to his current role in 2012, Brown, 59, has been responsible
for overseeing Ford’s sustainability strategy and environmental policy,
while ensuring that the company meets or exceeds all safety and
environmental regulations worldwide. He also has been leading the
company’s safety strategy, promoting aggressive standardization of
product technology that improves safety.
Since joining Ford as a compliance engineer in 1979, Brown has served in
a variety of leadership positions, including Ford’s environmental
regulatory manager in Washington D.C., assistant director of the
company’s Automotive Safety Office and director of Vehicle Environmental
Engineering.
“Robert has ensured that sustainability remains at the heart of our
strategy and that we continue to take the practical steps needed to
integrate sustainability into our business processes. Through his
efforts, we have strengthened relationships across the industry to
advance sustainability and safety,” said Fields. “We are grateful for
Robert’s leadership, and we wish him the best in his retirement.”
Pittel, currently executive director, Global Supplier Technical
Assistance, will succeed Brown and serve as the company’s top
environment and safety officer. She will report to Fields.
In her new role, Pittel, 55, will be responsible for the continued
development and implementation of the company’s global environment and
safety strategy, policy and performance, and Ford’s Blueprint
for Sustainability.
During her 29-year career at Ford, Pittel has served in a variety of
positions in Manufacturing, Product Development, Quality and Purchasing.
This broad experience will enable her to drive the company’s
sustainability commitment and actions even deeper in all areas of the
business. Most recently, Pittel was responsible for establishing product
launch and supplier quality processes to improve vehicle quality.
All retirements and appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2015.
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For biographical information and photos of Jim Farley, click here.
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For biographical information and photos of Stephen Odell, click here.
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For biographical information and photos of Nick Smither, click here.
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For biographical information and photos of Marcy Klevorn, click here.
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For biographical information and photos of Robert Brown, click here.
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For biographical information and photos of Kim Pittel, click here.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford
Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 189,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the
company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Follow
at www.facebook.com/ford,
www.twitter.com/ford
or www.youtube.com/fordvideo1
Contacts:
Ford Motor Company
Susan Krusel, 313.322.7998
skrusel@ford.com
Source: Ford Motor Company
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