The “shake-up” sees other exec figures leaving FoMoCo
UPDATE: Ford officially confirms the appointment of Jim Hackett as new CEO, who will succeed the retiring Mark Fields. Furthermore, Hackett will report directly to executive chairman Bill Ford.
Together with Ford, Hackett will focus on "sharpening operational execution, modernizing Ford’s present business and transforming the company to meet tomorrow’s challenges," says a press release issued by Ford Motor Company.
Moreover, three new leaders have filled roles under Hackett: Jim Fairley – executive vice president and president of Global Markets, Joe Hinrichs – executive vice president and president of Global Operations and Marcy Klevorn – executive vice president and president of Mobility, basically taking the empty spot left by Jim Hackett.
"We’re moving from a position of strength to transform Ford for the future. Jim Hackett is the right CEO to lead Ford during this transformative period for the auto industry and the broader mobility space. He’s a true visionary who brings a unique, human-centered leadership approach to our culture, products and services that will unlock the potential of our people and our business."
Bill Ford
Ford CEO Mark Fields has been sacked, with Jim Hackett expecting to take this place at the helm of the Blue Oval, according to a Forbes report.
Jim Hackett, the name mentioned as Fields' successor, is at the time of writing head of FoMoCo's Smart Mobility LLC arm.
Before joining Ford Smart Mobility, Jim Hackett was a member of the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors and CEO of furniture industry player Steelcase. Between 2014 and 2015 he took the vice chairman role at Steelcase.
He is also credited with turning Steelcase into a truly global brand. In 1996, after Steelcase operated an equity investment in IDEO, a company which designed the first mouse used by early Apple computers.
According to the same media outlet, Ford will release the official announcement on Monday (May 22, 2017).
Furthermore, the report mentions this shift occurs as "chairman Bill Ford and the rest of the board [were] losing confidence in Fields’ leadership."
"Mark Fields has been an outstanding leader and deserves a lot of credit for all he has accomplished in his many roles around the globe at Ford. His strong leadership was critical to our North American restructuring, our turnaround at the end of the last decade, and our record profits in the past two years."
Bill Ford
Mark Fields was born in 1961 and has an economics degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business.
He joined Ford in July 1989. Between 2000 and 2002 he was president and CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation. He was then named as chairman and chief executive officer of Premier Automotive Group.
In December 2012, Fields was appointed COO of Ford Motor Company. From this role and that of CEO – effective July 2014, Mark Fields was tasked with managing Ford's global manufacturing and product introduction plans.