Trevor Worthington, a vice president who oversaw development of the all-new Super Duty and Ranger Raptor trucks and Bronco Raptor SUV, is leaving Ford Blue, the company announced Monday.
He joined Ford in 1985 and has led for the past year programs for gas-powered and hybrid vehicles, a news release said. The retirement of Worthington, a corporate officer, will take effect April 28.
He previously worked as vice president of global product development, operations and vehicle programs, responsible for bringing new products to market, according to the Ford website. He oversaw material costs and engineering expenses during development.
Worthington joined Ford as part of the regional product-planning team in Australia, the release said. He went on to lead strategy in Asia Pacific, including China and North America.
Having grown up watching Ford Falcon vehicles on the race track in Australia, Worthington led product development for Ford Performance and played a major role in “orchestrating a strategy and cycle plan” for Ford Performance Racing, including a return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing and Le Mans with the Mustang GT3, the release said.
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“Trevor has always had a keen and evolving sense of what customers want and, more importantly, what they don’t know that they want in a vehicle,” Jim Baumbick, vice president of Ford product development operations and quality, said in a release. “But what really set Trevor apart was his leadership. His ability to inspire and develop employees throughout his career has played an important role in keeping Ford at the front of the pack with an iconic, winning portfolio of products.”
From 2008 to 2019, Worthington helped deliver Ford’s first global products to Asia Pacific, the news release said.
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to work for Ford,” Worthington said in a news release. “It’s been a privilege – there’s a legacy of people I’ve worked with and mentored all over the world that I’m really proud of.”
An aeronautical engineer by training, he plans to retire back home in Melbourne, Australia, not far from where he started his career, Ford said in its release. Worthington turns 60 this year, according to the Ford website.
Ford has not named a successor.
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid