Markets & Business
Ford reorganizes leadership as EV chief Doug Field exits
Ford EV and technology chief Doug Field is leaving the automaker as the company reorganizes its leadership to pursue ambitious 2029 profit and portfolio refresh targets.
Doug Field, the executive who shaped Ford’s electric vehicle (EV) and technology strategies, is leaving the automaker. His departure was announced on Wednesday as part of a broader leadership reorganization. Field’s career has spanned both traditional automotive manufacturing and Silicon Valley technology. He originally began his professional journey at Ford in 1987, working as a development engineer until 1993. He then moved to high-profile roles in Silicon Valley, including positions at Apple and Tesla, before returning to Ford in 2021. Over the five years that Field shaped Ford’s EV and technology strategies, he became a key figure in directing the automaker’s plans, reporting directly to Ford CEO Jim Farley.
As part of the reorganization, Ford has established a new “product creation and industrialization” team. This team will be led by Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s chief operating officer. The automaker’s electric vehicle and design team, which Field previously led, will be folded into this newly established organization. Additionally, Alan Clarke, a former Tesla executive, will serve as vice president of Advanced Development Projects. Clarke previously led Ford’s skunkworks program, a secretive internal team that developed the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform.
The newly formed product creation and industrialization team will oversee ambitious operational and financial targets. Ford is aiming to achieve an 8% adjusted profit margin for Ford+, its commercial business unit, by 2029. Alongside this margin target, the company plans to refresh 80% of its North American portfolio by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by 2029. These targets require the new team to manage distinct goals across different regions, separating the 80% North American portfolio refresh from the 70% global portfolio refresh.
Why it matters
Doug Field’s departure marks a significant leadership change at Ford as the automaker reorganizes its product creation and industrialization teams to meet ambitious profit and portfolio refresh targets by 2029.