Jim Farley will be the new head of Ford Europe, Middle East and Africa, it has been announced. He will swap roles with Stephen Odell, who will become head of global sales and marketing for Ford.
It is the first major management shake-up at Ford since Mark Fields took over from Alan Mulally as chief executive officer earlier this year.
Odell has taken the lead role in turning around Ford of Europe’s fortunes in recent years. He has significantly reduced the losses made by the division, although they are still expect to top $1 billion (£632m) this year and $250 (£160m) in 2015.
Ford had previously predicted it would return to profit in Europe in 2015, but in September this year downgraded that forecast.
“I’m really excited by the challenge, and our respective experience within Ford should make it a relatively seamless transition,” said Odell. “We are looking to accelerate behind Ford’s sales growth in every way we can, and this swap is part of that."
Farley has worked for Ford since 2007. Prior to that he enjoyed a glittering career at Toyota and Lexus, which included launching the Scion brand in the US.
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