• Henry Li, vice president, Marketing and Sales, Ford Greater China, and president, Ford National Distribution Services Division (NDSD), has elected to leave the company for health and family reasons. He will leave his current position on Dec. 31

• Joseph Liu, vice president, Marketing and Sales, Ford China, is named acting president, NDSD, effective immediately

• The NDSD – responsible for all marketing, sales and services operations of Ford-branded passenger vehicles in China – remains a strategic part of Ford’s transformation plan in China. Ford and Changan remain committed to its success.

• Ford China President and CEO Anning Chen has established a new China Operational Committee, including a number of Chinese leaders from within the business, including Joseph Liu and Mao Jingbo, president, Lincoln Asia Pacific and China

SHANGHAI, Dec. 10, 2018 – Ford China today announced that Henry Li, vice president, Marketing and Sales, Ford Greater China, and president, Ford National Distribution Services Division, has elected to leave the company for health and family reasons, effective Dec. 31, 2018.

“Henry’s has made significant contributions to Ford and he will be missed,” said Anning Chen, Ford China president and CEO. “We thank Henry for his leadership and dedication to delivering on our sales, service and dealer network strategy through the NDSD, and we wish him all the best in the future.”

Concurrently, Joseph Liu, is named vice president, Marketing and Sales, Ford China, and acting president, NDSD, effective immediately. With more than 30 years of experience in the auto industry, Liu is a seasoned marketing and sales leader in China. He brings to the position deep insights into the auto market and strong working relationships with Ford’s JV partners and dealers.

Established jointly by Ford and Changan Automobile on July 1, 2018, the NDSD is responsible for all marketing, sales and services operations of Ford-branded passenger vehicles in China.

“The NDSD is strategically important to Ford’s transformation in China,” Chen said. “Ford and Changan Automobile remain fully committed to the NDSD and we both extend our support to setting it up for success. We will continue to attract local talent, while working together to develop future product strategies, improve dealer profitability and build a first-class marketing, sales and service team, providing elevated sales and service experiences to our customers."

As part of Ford Motor Company’s global transformation, the company announced in late October it was reorganizing its Asia Pacific operations to accelerate a return to profitable growth. As part of those actions, Ford China was elevated to a stand-alone business unit reporting to Ford global headquarters.

Ford also announced that Anning Chen, a 25-year auto industry veteran with a strong track record in China, would be rejoining Ford to become president and CEO, Ford China, a newly created position focused on driving sustainable value creation.

This series of strategic moves indicates Ford's firm commitment to the China market, and will enable the company to continue to build a sustainable future for the business, while accelerating the implementation of Ford’s “In China, For China” strategy.

In the month since his appointment, Chen has focused on gaining an in-depth understanding of Ford's business situation in China and establishing a win-win relationship with business partners. The company is undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the product portfolio, dealer network, market performance and other dimensions critical to Ford’s success and developing plans to speed Ford’s turnaround in the world’s largest vehicle market.

Top priorities include ensuring Ford’s products and services reflect China's rapidly changing market environment and the increasing demands of Chinese consumers; creating a more streamlined organizational structure; and empowering a team of top local talent to make fast decisions.

To support this effort, Chen has established a new China Operational Committee that includes several leaders, including Joseph Liu and Mao Jingbo, with rich experience in the Chinese auto market.

Earlier this year, Ford announced plans introduce more than 50 new products by 2025, accelerating product localization and development to better meet the needs of Chinese customers. The first of the new products in this plan, including the all-new Focus and new Escort, have recently reached dealer showrooms, while the all-new Territory SUV recently made its global debut in China and will go on sale early next year.

Lincoln has just launched it brand vision, “Quiet Flight,” and introduced two SUVs, the all-new Lincoln Nautilus and new Lincoln MKC.         

“China is absolutely essential to Ford globally. The management team fully understands the urgency and importance of transforming our business in China,” Chen said. “We need to build a robust management team and efficient organizational structure. To win against the competition in China, we must better understand the Chinese customer, respond to market changes quickly, introduce more products that customers like and want, streamline the organization, improve the capability of our team, speed up decision-making, and strengthen our win-win relationships with dealers.”