Ford Canada chief executive Bill Osborne will next month take over as president of Ford Australia.

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He will replace Tom Gorman who has headed the unit for almost four years. Gorman is leaving the company to take up other business opportunities, according to Australian news agency AAP.


“Bill Osborne has a wealth of business and industry knowledge and will be an immense asset to the Ford Australia team,” said Ford Motor Company Asia Pacific executive vice president John Parker.


AAP noted that the change comes following one of Ford’s most turbulent years in Australia which included a decision to close its engine plant at Geelong in 2010, a move that would axe about 600 jobs.


Around the same time it also announced plans from 2011 to build the Focus, despite small car assembly not being the favoured option among local vehicle manufacturers in recent years.

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AAP said Ford expects to manufacture 40,000 Focus units each year, many for export to New Zealand, South Africa and other markets, and that will increase its importance to Ford’s worldwide operations and help boost vehicle production levels at its Campbellfield assembly plant.


Last week, Ford rival, General Motors’ Holden unit, said GM executive director of global vehicle systems and integration, Mark Reuss, would replace Chris Gubbey as chairman and managing director from February after Gubbey was named head of General Motors Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.