Hau Thai-Tang is chief product development & purchasing officer, Ford Motor Company, effective June 1, 2017. In this role, he is globally responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s product design, engineering, and development, as well as purchasing operations. He also has responsibility for Enterprise Product Line Management and connectivity. He reports to Jim Farley, chief operating officer, Ford Motor Company.

He most recently has served as group vice president, Global Purchasing, a position Thai-Tang has held since August 1, 2013. Ford’s global purchasing organization is responsible for more than $100 billion in annual spending on production and non-production goods and services around the world.

Thai-Tang also has more than 25 years in Product Development, including serving as vice president, Engineering for Global Product Development. In this capacity, he directed all global engineering for car, truck, SUV and crossover vehicles for the Ford and Lincoln brands in support of the One Ford plan.

Thai-Tang also was executive director of Global Product Programs, and director of Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team (SVT). In these roles, he led the delivery of Ford’s mainstream and high performance products from conception to launch across all regions.

Thai-Tang’s international experience includes assignments in Cologne, Germany and four years serving as director of Product Development for Ford South America. Based in Brazil, he oversaw the development of new products for value markets and led the emergence of FSAO as a global product development center.

Previously, Thai-Tang served as the chief engineer for the Mustang program, leading the design, development, and launch of the 2005 model year Mustang. An avid car enthusiast, Thai-Tang was a race engineer for Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on Ford’s Newman-Haas IndyCar team in 1993. His efforts contributed to six victories, 11 podium finishes, and the overall driver’s and manufacturer’s championships.

In 2001, the Automotive Hall of Fame awarded Thai-Tang the Young Leadership and Excellence Award. He also was named Asian Executive of the Year by On Wheels Inc. in 2006.  Most recently, Thai-Tang was named Purchasing Executive of the Year by Automotive Supply Chain Magazine.

After graduating in 1988 from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thai-Tang joined Ford as a college graduate trainee. In 1993, he earned a master of business administration degree with distinction from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.