Ford is in the midst of a major transitionary period, including over at the automaker’s European arm. In that continent, Ford has committed that by mid-2026, 100 percent of its passenger vehicle lineup will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric, or plug-in hybrid and that it will be completely all-electric by 2030 or perhaps even sooner, even though a number of commercial customers are wary of such a pivot. At the same time, European shoppers are shifting their preference from passenger cars to crossovers and SUVs, making the Ford Puma The Blue Oval’s new best-selling model, while the Kuga is Europe’s best-selling plug-in hybrid. Now, as these fundamental shifts are happening, Ford of Europe will also be naming a new head of passenger vehicles, as Roelant de Waard will be retiring after 30 years with the company at the end of 2021.
“Roelant has been an outstanding leader at Ford and that was never truer than over the past years, being responsible for defining the Passenger Vehicle strategy in a time when electrification represents the most transformative change of our industry in over 100 years,” said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe. “At Ford of Europe, we are leading the way in our ambition to create a sustainably profitable all-electric future.”
Roelant de Waard joined Ford back in 1990 and has held numerous roles within the automaker over the last three-plus decades in the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In January 2011, de Waard was elected an officer of the company and appointed to the position of vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, in Ford of Europe.
While FoMoCo announced de Waard’s retirement, it did not name his replacement for the position of general manager, passenger vehicles, Ford of Europe, saying only that it will reveal that tidbit of information at a future date.
We’ll have more on all of Ford’s executive shakeups as they happen, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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