A source within Ford Motor Company recently told Bloomberg that plans are afoot to promote Mark Fields, to Chief Operating Officer. This has added speculation that he will ultimately succeed Alan Mulally as CEO.
A decision could possibly be reached during a director’s board meeting scheduled to begin tomorrow. Fields, a 23-year veteran with Ford Motor Company has been President of the Americas since 2005, following stints in Europe and also at Mazda in Japan, where he’s recognized as helping turn that company’s fortunes around in the early 2000s. If appointed to the post of COO, Fields would become second to Mulally and be given global responsibility to help grow the company, especially its European and to a lesser extent Asia operations which have been struggling recently. According to the Wall Street Journal, there’s a possibility Mulally could leave Ford as early as the end of next year, though other board members have said they aren’t planning on pushing him out.
Besides Fields, Joe Hinrichs, head of Ford’s operations in Asia and marketing chief Jim Farley are also rumoured to be possible candidates for the top job in the future. Under Mulally’s tenure Ford hasn’t had a COO, making Fields’ potential appointment a unique one. Fields is recognized as being one of the influencing forces in fostering a culture of openness among management ranks at the automaker, something that’s been a staple of the Mulally era.
