Future vague for No.2
Alan Mulally's appointment as CEO casts a shadow over Mark Fields' prospects
Ford said Fields would retain responsibility for spearheading the automaker's turnaround at home, which is its largest and most difficult market. Analysts said Fields' role could change after Mulally's arrival, with one suggesting the younger executive could still be in line to take over Ford after the current crisis.
Fields arrived at Ford's headquarters in 2005, after running its Europe division. He has also run Ford's Premium Automotive Group, which includes the Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo brands. He is widely credited for turning around Mazda, in which Ford has a controlling stake. He is in charge of plans to accelerate the restructuring at Ford's money-losing North American operations.
Ford posted a $1.44 billion (Rs 6,600 crore) loss in the first half of the year, and its US sales this year declined by nearly 10 percent through August. The company has announced in January that it would cut 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants in North America by 2012.
In July, citing an unexpectedly steep decline in sales of its market-leading trucks, Ford said it would speed up and deepen that turnaround plan, dubbed the "Way Forward." Asked about the restructuring Fields has said that his line answer was to see the enterprise succeed.
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