Ford EV and technology chief are leaving the automaker

Doug Field, a high-ranking executive who has shaped Ford’s electric vehicle and technology strategies over the past five years, is leaving the automaker. It was the departure of the field Announce Wednesday as part of a broader reorganization of the company’s leadership.

area Join Ford In 2021 with a strong Silicon Valley resume that included leading Apple’s special projects team and serving as senior vice president of engineering at Tesla. His appointment was more than just a return to his professional roots. (Field began his career at Ford as a development engineer from 1987 to 1993.) The hire was intended to advance Ford CEO Jim Farley’s vision of transforming the legacy automaker into a leader in software, electric vehicles and other advanced technologies.

Reporting directly to Farley, Field was initially tasked with overseeing the company’s embedded software and hardware operations, covering vehicle controls, enterprise connectivity, features, integration and validation, architecture and platform, driver assistance technology, and digital engineering tools. In practical terms, this put him responsible for the design, development and implementation of the entire technology stack used in Ford and Lincoln vehicles, including infotainment, navigation, driver assistance technology, connected services and vehicle cybersecurity.

Field was a prominent figure at Ford, and Farley often praised him on the company’s earnings calls. It was among the major leaders when it was an automaker Division of its business It is divided into three units: the Electric Vehicles and Digital Services division, the traditional internal combustion engine business, and the Commercial Vehicles unit. He was behind Ford skunkworks software – Secret internal team – to build a low-cost electric car.

Under the reorganization laid out Wednesday, Ford has created what it calls a “product creation and manufacturing” team led by COO Kumar Galhotra. Ford’s electric vehicle and design team, which Field led, will be integrated into this new organization.

The new organization comes with ambitious goals, including an 8% adjusted profit margin for the Ford+ business by 2029. The team will also oversee Ford’s plan to modernize 80% of its North American portfolio by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by 2029. This will include a global electric vehicle (UEV) platform, a midsize pickup, and the next generation of F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks.

The UEV platform is what was developed by Ford’s skunkworks program – now known as the Advanced Development Projects Team. Alan Clark, the former Tesla executive who led the Skunkworks program, now serves as vice president of advanced development projects.