Ernest Adams, who joined Ford in March 2023, is the chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer. He reports to Jennifer Waldo, the company’s chief people and employee experience officer.

In this role, Adams leads the strategic vision, direction and oversight of the Global DEI Office. Through his leadership, the Global DEI Office collaborates across functions to better enable the company to focus on a renewed, refreshed and holistic approach to the employee experience — one that has diversity, equity and inclusion woven throughout.

Adams came to Ford from being the co-owner and principal of Hustle with Heart, LLC. While there, he worked with organizations of all sizes to reimagine HR, Talent, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategies. Previously, Adams was the SVP of global talent and HR business partnerships for Ralph Lauren and the first chief diversity and inclusion officer for Danaher Corporation. At both Ralph Lauren and Danaher, Adams was highly regarded as a leader who drove significant enterprise change initiatives. Over the course of his career, he has held progressive roles in human resources and within the life sciences, medical technology, retail and fashion sectors.

A Midwestern native, Adams holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and management sciences from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He holds management certificates from both Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.