Three senior Ford leaders to retire in latest exec-level staffing changes

Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday announced a spate of executive departures, with three senior company leaders slated to retire in the coming months.

Departing are Stuart Rowley, Ford’s chief transformation and quality officer; Joy Falotico, president of Lincoln since 2018 and a 33-year Ford employee; and Steven Armstrong, who is retiring from his role as vice president of India and South America transformation after more than 35 years working for the Dearborn automaker.

Meanwhile, Jim Baumbick –– vice president of product development operations, cycle planning and internal combustion engine programs –– will take over responsibility for quality initiatives upon Rowley’s departure. Josh Halliburton, who joined Ford earlier this year as executive director of quality amid a company-wide push to improve in an area that has long dogged the company, will report to Baumbick.

Quality historically has been a huge challenge for the company, and executives have repeatedly acknowledged that they are not satisfied with results around warranty costs, recalls and customer experience. This year, Ford leads all automakers in the U.S. in recalls.

“Quality is our No. 1 priority as a company and Jim Baumbick is the right leader to deliver world-class quality and reliability at Ford with a disciplined process that runs from our supply chain to our engineering labs all the way to the factor floor,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.

Dianne Craig, who heads up Ford’s International Markets Group, will succeed Falotico as president of Lincoln. Ford said Craig’s successor will be announced later.

The moves mark the latest staffing shakeup under Farley’s two-year tenure as CEO. He has brought in outside talent with Silicon Valley credentials, given expanded roles to numerous company veterans even as others have departed, and moved to reshape Ford’s talent ranks to reflect the electric and digital transformation the company is undertaking.

Departing executives

Rowley will retire Dec. 1, capping a 32-year career at Ford in which he served in numerous roles across the company.

Among other roles, he previously served as chief financial officer of Volvo Cars; CFO of Ford of Europe; global controller; head of strategy; chief operating officer for North America; and president of Ford of Europe. Earlier this year, he took on the new transformation and quality role following Ford’s move to separate its EV and combustion engine businesses into separate units.

In a statement, Farley credited Rowley with leading a redesign of Ford’s business in Europe “to become much leaner and focused on our commercial vehicles business and transition to EVs.”

Meanwhile, Falotico also will retire Dec. 1 after heading up Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln, for the last several years. In a news release, Ford credited her with overseeing the momentum Lincoln has achieved in China, as well as positioning the brand for an electric and digital future. Lincoln launched the new Aviator and Corsair, as well as the Lincoln Zephyr in China and the Lincoln Star and Model L100 concept vehicles during Falotico’s time as president.

“Joy has been a wonderful steward of Lincoln, building out its distinctive lineup of vehicles and experiences, polishing the Lincoln brand image, and overseeing a promising growth strategy in China,” said Farley, who previously headed up Lincoln.

Lincoln debuted in China, the world’s largest auto market, in 2014 and has achieved gains there in recent years, even as it has become more of a niche brand in the U.S. that has struggled against foreign luxury brands — with China sales outpacing those in Lincoln’s home market last year. The brand has yet to debut its first all-electric vehicle yet, but has said it will have a fully electrified lineup by 2030, with three electric models coming by 2025.

Previously, Falotico served as Ford’s chief marketing officer and as chair and CEO of Ford Credit, the company’s finance division.

Armstrong is set to retire Jan. 1. He previously served in roles for Ford-owned Jaguar and Volvo, and for Ford of Europe. He served as president of Ford South America, vice president and chief operating officer in Europe and as group vice president and president of Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before taking on his current role, he was president of Changan Ford in China.

In a statement, Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue, the company’s combustion engine business, credited Armstrong with contributing to “the significant improvement we have seen in many of our international markets.”

In the last couple of years, Ford has reshaped its operations in India and South America — including winding down its manufacturing operations in India and Brazil — as part of a bid to cut losses in underperforming regions.