A Whirlpool Corp. executive will take over as Ford Motor Co.’s chief supply chain officer, the Dearborn automaker announced Tuesday as part of a series of personnel departures and hires.
Kiersten Robinson, a 28-year Ford employee who is general manager of family vehicles and president of Mexico and Canada for Ford Blue, will retire effective July 1, Ford announced. And Jonathan Jennings will retire from his position as vice president of supply chain for the automaker Aug. 1, capping a 30-year career there. Both Robinson and Jennings are corporate officers.
Meanwhile, Dave Bozeman, who joined Ford from Amazon last year, is leaving the automaker to take over as chief executive officer of C.H. Robinson, a Minnesota-based transportation and third-party logistics company. Bozeman has been leading Ford Blue’s enthusiast vehicles unit and Ford’s customer service division. Prior to his time at Amazon, Bozeman worked at motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson and construction-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.
Joining Ford is Liz Door, who for the past six years led global strategic sourcing for Whirlpool, the Benton Harbor-based home appliance maker. She’ll take over as Ford’s chief supply chain officer June 12, assuming duties that John Lawler took on in September in addition to his role as chief financial officer. Door will report to Lawler.
When Lawler took responsibility over Ford’s supply chain organization, the company said he’d be tasked with overseeing a “makeover” of its global supply chain operations.
“We have a lot of work to do with the supply base,” Lawler said at an investor event in May, adding that Ford’s supply chain team is “intensely focused” on three things: quality, cost and delivery.
“All three of those … require a very different relationship with the supply base,” Lawler said. “They’ve given us a lot of good feedback … and we’re listening to them, and we’re starting to gain traction.”
Improving quality and bringing down costs in supply chain operations is just one part of Ford’s strategy to drive efficiencies across the company as it aims to hit key financial and production goals tied to its $50 billion electrification plan.
Prior to her current role at Whirlpool, Door led North America procurement for the company for more than six years, according to a news release. Before that, she worked in strategic purchasing and supply chain roles at General Motors Co. She started her career with Prince Corp., which is now part of Johnson Controls, as a quality engineer at a Chrysler plant in St. Louis. Door is originally from Michigan and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University.
“Liz brings deep, relevant domain experience — including leveraging the Internet of Things to create great value for customers — from both outside and inside the global auto industry,” Lawler said in a statement. “That’s an ideal combination for leading a team that’s determined to restore supply chain management as a competitive advantage for Ford.”
Robinson, meanwhile, started her nearly 30-year career at Ford in labor relations and spent most of it working on leadership in human resources. Her roles included a four-year stint as Ford’s chief human resources officer and serving as head of Ford Land, the company’s real estate arm. She took on her most recent role in Ford Blue, the automaker’s internal combustion engine vehicle business, just over a year ago.
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In a statement, Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue, said Robinson “uses her expertise in people and systems to find solutions that are good for the business, our customers and our teams.”
The automaker credited her with expanding the company’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and with being part of the introduction of benefits like parental leave for both mothers and fathers.
Andrew Frick, Ford Blue’s vice president of sales, distribution and trucks, will take over Robinson’s responsibilities, Ford said.
Jennings, the departing vice president of supply chain, started at Ford in 1993 as a manufacturing engineer at the former Cleveland Casting Plant and went on to serve in numerous roles at the automaker, including helping to navigate the unprecedented supply-chain disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our industry and others have been pummeled by issues caused by the pandemic, natural disasters and extraordinary demand for new technology,” Lawler said in a statement. “Jonathan’s firsthand relationships with vendors have helped us navigate often severe limits on volumes of semiconductors, batteries and even basic parts in order to best meet the needs of customers.”
And in another staffing change, Tim Slatter — a 25-year Ford employee — has taken over leadership of vehicle programs, a role previously held by Trevor Worthington, who Ford said retired last month. That role includes management of all Ford Blue global vehicle programs and Ford Performance products. Slatter will report to Jim Baumbick, Ford Blue’s vice president of product development operations and quality.
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com