Ford Motor Company has switched the jobs of two senior men as it seeks
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.
At the same time,
Stephen Odell takes over as 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 and service,
a position to which he was appointed in 2007. In this role, Fields said Farley
had led the company’s drive to connect more closely with customers through
integrated global marketing, advertising, digital communications, brand
development and research.
He was
instrumental too 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 US
and Europe for the company’s Scion, Toyota and Lexus brands.
Farley will be
responsible now for accelerating 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.
In this new job, Farley
will have an opportunity to apply his passion to build on the success of Ford’s
products in Europe and grow the company’s business in the Middle East and
Africa.
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, according to Fields, 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 chief executive officer
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 Mazda’s successful Zoom Zoom marketing campaign.
Fields claimed
that under Odell’s leadership, Ford’s European transformation plan “is well
under way, and we are poised to profitably grow as the region emerges from a
long downturn. Odell was instrumental also 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.”
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