Ford has named Sarah-Jayne Williams as its first director for Smart Mobility in Europe.

Sarah-Jayne Williams, Ford’s director for Smart Mobility in Europe.

Effective from September, Ms Williams will focus on future mobility solutions for Europe, and will work out of the new Ford Smart Mobility Innovation Office in London. The role will see her work with work closely with European city planners, public transport agencies and communities to create new solutions.

This autumn will see Ford work with London-based fleets to trial 20 new Transit PHEVs prior to the vehicle going into production in 2019 while the carmaker is also looking into shared services such as ridesharing.

Ms Williams brings 14 years’ experience at global business consulting firm BearingPoint, where she was a partner in the automotive team and led the Connected Car Centre of Excellence. Her background includes working with OEMs and automotive leasing providers to design and deliver new business models, digital strategies and connected car services.