Ford Motor announced last night a shake-up of its top management intended to streamline vehicle development efforts and bring Chief Executive Alan Mulally closer to key operations.
In his first major move since taking his position full time in October, Mr Mulally created a post of global product development chief at the struggling automaker and eliminated a layer of management in its international operations.
Derrick Kuzak (55) ,who played a key role in the launch of Ford's small Focus sedan, will lead Ford's new global development group, reporting to Mr Mulally.
Under the reorganisation, three business unit chiefs will now report directly to the CEO: Mark Fields (45) who heads the Americas; Lewis Booth (58) who is in charge of Europe and Ford's luxury brands; and John Parker (58) who has responsibility for the Asian region and Mazda.
Mr Mulally, who joined Ford from Boeing Co., had made it clear he was looking to revamp the automaker's operational structure to make Ford leaner and more centrally driven in areas such as product development, purchasing and engineering.