Ford Australia appoints new president and CEO

Kay Hart has been replaced as CEO and president of Ford Australia after just over two years in the role.

Ms Hart has been moved to a new role as Ford’s global enterprise product line manager, van and bus.

Her replacement is Andrew Birkic, who has been with Ford since 1994 across Australia, Asia, and the USA.

He’s most recently served as director for dealer development and consumer experience at Ford Asia Pacific in Shanghai, prior to which he worked on the consumer experience in Detroit.

“I am thrilled to be re-joining the fantastic team in Australia and New Zealand,” said Mr Birkic.

“I know how passionate and accomplished the team is, having spent the past two years working with the Ranger and Everest development team to grow the brands across more than 180 markets.

“I look forward to working closely with our team and dealers to serve our customers.”

Ford is currently sitting fifth on the Australian sales chart, having delivered 27,651 cars in the first half of 2020. Its sales are down 18.7 per cent to date, compared to a wider market decline of 20.2 per cent over the same period.

The brand’s volume is driven largely by the Ranger ute, which is consistently nipping at the heels of the HiLux atop the VFACTS sales charts.

However it is getting ready to welcome a new Escape SUV to take on the Toyota RAV4, which will give it a much-needed boost in one of Australia’s most competitive segments.