Effective 1 March 2015, Mr Casesa will report to Ford president and CEO Mark Fields and will lead a team focused on enhancing existing business strategies and identifying and evaluating new opportunities for profitable growth.

‘Ford is a growth company in a dramatically growing global industry. It is more important than ever that we operate with a focus on delivering today’s business and an equal focus on anticipating and meeting the needs of customers five, 10 and 15 years down the road,’ said Fields. ‘John knows business and the auto industry inside and out. His deep experience and relationships will help guide and shape our global strategies – particularly as we challenge today’s business model and push to innovate to make us even stronger tomorrow.’

Before joining Ford, Mr Casesa was senior managing director of Guggenheim Partners, where he led the firm’s automotive investment banking activities. Prior to Guggenheim, he spent nearly 20 years as a leading automotive analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co and Schroders PLC. He also served as a product planning analyst at General Motors and was a co-owner of domestic and import auto dealerships in the US northeast region.