Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday announced the retirement of Steve Lyons, vice president for North American marketing, sales and service, as well as other changes to help lower the number of officers in the company toward a target reduction of 12 percent.
On Monday, Ford pledged to reduce its officer ranks by 12 percent in the next two months as part of a restructuring plan that will involve 25,000 to 30,000 job cuts. The company currently has 54 officers, meaning it would need to cut a total of six or seven positions.
Ford said the changes announced Tuesday, together with previously announced changes, mean it has now cut four officer positions.
Lyons, who joined the company in 1972 as a truck design engineer, is retiring on March 1. The 57-year-old plans to become a Ford dealer in Arizona, the company said.
Lyons will be replaced by Cisco Codina, previously head of Ford’s customer service division.
“Steve’s ability to drive results throughout an organization will be missed,” Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford said in a statement.
Codina, who has headed the customer service division since 2003, previously was general marketing manager for Ford division and before that president of Ford of Argentina.
Darryl Hazel, Ford’s president of marketing, is moving into the position Codina is vacating. Also reporting to Codina will be Al Giombetti, who is appointed to the new position of president of Ford and Lincoln Mercury marketing and sales. Giombetti was previously general sales manager for Lincoln Mercury.
“Cisco, Darryl and Al have years of talent and experience and a winning attitude. They will help bring to reality our accelerated commitment to having customers drive everything that we do,” Mark Fields, Ford’s president for the Americas, said in a statement.
Tim O’Brien, Ford’s vice president of corporate relations, is moving to a nonexecutive position of deputy chief of staff for executive operations and sustainability.
Barbara Gasper, vice president of investor relations, is leaving the company and will not be replaced at the officer level.
