Doug Field, a high-profile executive, is leaving Ford after five years leading the company's electric vehicle and technology strategies. Field joined Ford in 2021 with a background from Silicon Valley, including stints at Apple and Tesla. He directly reported to CEO Jim Farley and oversaw the design, development, and implementation of Ford and Lincoln vehicles' tech stack.
Field was a key leader when Ford split its business into three units: EV and digital services, traditional internal combustion engine, and commercial vehicles. He also led the secretive skunkworks program developing a low-cost electric vehicle. Under the reorganization announced Wednesday, Field's responsibilities will be taken over by COO Kumar Galhotra's new "product creation and industrialization" team.
The new team has ambitious targets, including an 8% adjusted profit margin for Ford's commercial business by 2029. They'll also oversee a plan to refresh 80% of Ford's North American portfolio and 70% of its global portfolio by 2029, including the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform developed by Field's team.
Alan Clarke, a former Tesla executive, has taken over Field's responsibilities as vice president of Advanced Development Projects. Clarke led the skunkworks program that developed the UEV platform.
