John Dion joined Ford in April 2023 as Ford’s chief transformation officer. He reports to Ford President and CEO, Jim Farley.
Dion oversees global deployment of the Ford Operating System, comprising methodologies and tools based on Lean manufacturing and related concepts. The system is central to realizing the value-creation and growth potential of the Ford+ plan.
Dion came to Ford from Maryland-based fabrication and specialty gas-control technology, ESAB Corp., where he was senior vice president and officer, ESAB Business Excellence, and led the company’s industrial and cultural remaking. Prior to ESAB, Dion was with Danaher Corp. for 24 years in leadership roles at six of its operating companies and Danaher Life Sciences. In those roles, Dion led the integrations and transitions of several Danaher acquisitions, and directed the application of kaizen-based, Lean manufacturing systems that led to superior execution and performance. Dion has also instructed senior-executive education programs through Columbia Business School and Emeritus.
Dion earned both a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Connecticut.