Ford's Mark Fields promoted, could become CEO

By Karen Hudson Samuels/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) - Ford Motor Company announces a new leadership team that it says will continue delivering on the One Ford plan for profitable growth.

Mark Fields has been named the company’s new Chief Operating Officer, effective December 1st while Alan Mulally will stay on as Ford President and CEO through at least 2014.

The announcement was made in a Thursday morning conference call with the media; it ends speculation about whether the 67 year-old Allan Mulally, who has led the company since December 2006, would be stepping down.

Executive Chairman Bill Ford, who joined in the conference call, said it was Ford’s Board of Directors that asked Mullay to stay and to continue leading long-term strategic development of the One Ford plan and its continuous improvement.

The key message said Ford is that “Mark will lead the business plan review, Mullay will step back to further advance the strategic issues of One Ford” with a focus on accelerating globalization of the plan in Europe and Asia Pacific.

The hallmark of the One Ford Plan says Mullay is that “we are able to pivot if we need to react” in a world that changes dramatically, sometimes in a single day.

The Plan has pulled all functions together to work in sync and is endorsed by leadership throughout the company.

Mark Fields, as Executive Vice President of the Americas, led North American operations to a record third quarter of profitability.

The 51 year-old Fields, who joined the company in 1989, has served in various C-level positions including as Executive Vice President for Ford of Europe and the Premier Automotive Group (PAG) and president and CEO of Mazda Motor Company.

As the new COO, Fields will take over the renowned Thursday Business Plan Review meetings instituted by Allan Mullay.

The meetings changed the culture of Ford by having business units report openly on the status of their operations without the backdrop of empire building and backbiting.

“The culture that exists today is so much healthier” said Ford and is likely to continue; as the current executive leadership team has grown up operating through its lens of reality and clarity.

“The process and behavior of a culture of positive leadership has been institutionalized” by facing tremendous challenges and operating in a “rhythm that is almost like muscle” Mulally said.

It may too soon to talk about the legacy of Allan Mulally’s leadership, but Bill Ford said his right-hand man has “Created a company that is healthy, has a clear vision and the good news is that we Allan for a while longer.

The company also made several other concurrent leadership announcements, also effective Dec. 1, including:

• Joe Hinrichs is named executive vice president and president of The Americas; Hinrichs is currently group vice president and president of Asia Pacific Africa

• Stephen Odell is named executive vice president and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Africa is being realigned with Europe and the Middle East under Odell to take advantage of profitable growth opportunities and efficiencies

• Jim Farley is named executive vice president of Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln; Farley, will be the senior global leader for Lincoln, working together with the company’s business units and functions on the re-invention of Lincoln as a world-class, global luxury brand

• David Schoch is named group vice president and president of Asia Pacific; Schoch is currently chairman and CEO, Ford of China

• John Lawler is elected a Ford Motor Company vice president and named chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China; Lawler is currently CFO, Ford Asia Pacific Africa