Ford of Britain’s wholly owned dealer group, Ford Retail, has announced the departure of founding CEO Chris Hayden who has headed the organisation for over 10 years.
Hayden will join major independent US-based dealer group, Group 1 Automotive, as market director, California. Group 1 franchises include Ford.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Ford of Europe marketing, sales and service chief, Roelant de Waard, said: “Chris has done a fantastic retail job for Ford over his many years of service and has profitably developed Ford Retail into a customer-focused business.”
With 60 sites, Ford Retail is one of the largest dealer groups in the UK and the largest Ford dealer group in the world.
Regional brands include Dagenham Motors, Polar Ford, Heartlands Ford, Brunel Ford and Lindsay Ford, and it employs over 3,000 people and sells around 75,000 vehicles a year with a turnover exceeding GBP1bn. It also has a dedicated parts business.
Ford expects to announce the appointment of the new CEO within the next few months. Angus Brown, Ford retail parts operations director, is acting CEO.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
