Ford Global Operations Chief to Retire in 2007

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that Mark Schulz, executive vice president and president of international operations, has announced his plans to retire from the company early next year. He began his career with Ford as an assembly line worker in 1970. Schulz, 54, is responsible for the company's business in Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. In that job, he oversees the global activities of the Premier Automotive Group, which includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, as well as the company's partnership with Mazda Motor Corp.

From Detroit Free Press

Schulz, 54, is responsible for the company’s business in Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. In that job, he oversees the global activities of the Premier Automotive Group, which includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, as well as the company’s partnership with Mazda Motor Corp.

Ford did not say who would replace Schulz, saying any resulting restructuring would be the topic of a future statement.

Schulz was not available for an interview Thursday.

But the departure may give new CEO Alan Mulally a chance to further streamline Ford’s operations. Mulally and outside critics have complained that Ford’s operations are too complex, with too many layers of management.

Some wondered whether Schulz, a hockey buddy of Chairman Bill Ford, might be leaving the company when he skipped the Beijing Auto Show in November.

Schulz had been under pressure recently as three of his four operating groups reported worse financial results during the third quarter than a year earlier. The only improvement was in Ford of Europe, which posted a pre-tax loss of $13 million, compared with a pre-tax loss of $55 million a year earlier. The other three groups are PAG, Asia Pacific and Africa and Mazda.

Schulz previously served as president of Asia Pacific and Africa, and before that he led Asia Pacific and Ford South America operations as a corporate vice president. Prior to his election as a corporate officer, Schulz was the head of Ford’s operations in Turkey for five years.

Schulz serves on several boards, including the National Committee of United States-China Relations, the United States-China Business Council and the National Bureau of Asian Research. He also is a member of the International Advisory Board for the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Valparaiso University and master’s degrees from the University of Detroit in economics and the University of Michigan in engineering, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Sloan Fellow.