Heroes
These are the heroes that shaped Ford of Europe’s history. My last book, The Cars You Always Promised Yourself featured these important men and the important cars they created. If you have – or intend to buy – a copy of my new book Secret Fords then you’ll be introduced to several more key players. But, like any good series, many of the first book’s original cast of characters play a key role in Secret Fords too.
There’s not enough space to duplicate anything in the new second book. So, instead, they are stored here for reference. If you’ve got time, it is well worth learning these leaders’ tales before you read Secret Fords – it will help you enjoy the book. They didn’t just change Ford but, in later roles, as CEOs, Design and Engineering Directors went on to reshape wider automotive world.
Select a hero and click to learn their story
Rod Mansfield - Manager SVE
At 17, Rod started an engineering degree course at London’s Battersea Polytechnic but a lecturer friend told him to switch to the more practically-minded IMechE course at the Chelsea College of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering. His growing interest in modifying cars led him to squeeze a Ford 8 side-valve engine into a pre-war Fiat Topolino. The need to ensure the integrity of modifications became clear during a drive into London on a date with a girl called Val. The exhaust manifold was made from a less than ideal material (newspaper) and promptly caught fire. Rod whipped back the canvas roof and yanked off the smouldering paper, all without stopping. Val was impressed enough to become his wife of 60 years.
In February 1960, after two years National Service in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Rod started at Ford’s Rainham engineering centre on the Consul Classic. Later he supervised steering and suspension on Project Colt, the original Capri. He persuaded Ray Horrocks, boss of AVO, to take him on as Engineering Supervisor where he worked on the BDA-engined Escort RS1600, Mexico and RS2000, and the Capri RS2600, RS3100 and stillborn 4x4.
When AVO closed in 1974, he moved to Ford’s Press Office and later the somewhat less glamorous Automotive Regulations Department. Out of the blue, in February 1980, Gerhard Hartwig, FoE’s Chief Engineer of Vehicle Engineering, phoned to ask if he’d lead a team to engineer ‘special vehicles’. There was no interview for this Special Vehicle Engineering role –just a request to estimate how many engineers he’d need. Despite, or possibly because of, 20 successful programmes and 800,000 high-profile, high-margin cars, SVE would not be without detractors who resented these ‘rule-breakers’ and their well-spoken boss.
After 11 years at SVE, Rod became Engineering Director at Ford-owned Aston Martin where he oversaw the supercharged Virage. Ford called him back to establish an American version of SVE in Detroit. However, instead of FoE’s enthusiastic product planning and marketing support, this department was expected to fund its own programmes and so Rod retired from Ford in 1993, just shy of his 60th birthday. Two years later, Lotus asked him to consult and he was soon its CEO. Despite the turbulence at Hethel, he oversaw the Elise’s final development and the Esprit V8. Then, having supervised some of the fastest Fords, Astons and Lotuses, he retired for good in 1996. His favourite cars remain a Capri 2.8 Injection, Sierra RS Cosworth and early Lotus Elise.
In February 1960, after two years National Service in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Rod started at Ford’s Rainham engineering centre on the Consul Classic. Later he supervised steering and suspension on Project Colt, the original Capri. He persuaded Ray Horrocks, boss of AVO, to take him on as Engineering Supervisor where he worked on the BDA-engined Escort RS1600, Mexico and RS2000, and the Capri RS2600, RS3100 and stillborn 4x4.
When AVO closed in 1974, he moved to Ford’s Press Office and later the somewhat less glamorous Automotive Regulations Department. Out of the blue, in February 1980, Gerhard Hartwig, FoE’s Chief Engineer of Vehicle Engineering, phoned to ask if he’d lead a team to engineer ‘special vehicles’. There was no interview for this Special Vehicle Engineering role –just a request to estimate how many engineers he’d need. Despite, or possibly because of, 20 successful programmes and 800,000 high-profile, high-margin cars, SVE would not be without detractors who resented these ‘rule-breakers’ and their well-spoken boss.
After 11 years at SVE, Rod became Engineering Director at Ford-owned Aston Martin where he oversaw the supercharged Virage. Ford called him back to establish an American version of SVE in Detroit. However, instead of FoE’s enthusiastic product planning and marketing support, this department was expected to fund its own programmes and so Rod retired from Ford in 1993, just shy of his 60th birthday. Two years later, Lotus asked him to consult and he was soon its CEO. Despite the turbulence at Hethel, he oversaw the Elise’s final development and the Esprit V8. Then, having supervised some of the fastest Fords, Astons and Lotuses, he retired for good in 1996. His favourite cars remain a Capri 2.8 Injection, Sierra RS Cosworth and early Lotus Elise.
Bob Lutz - President
The Swiss-American, born in Zürich in 1932, drove his first car at the age of 12 – and immediately crashed into a stone wall. Early on, he became something of a ladies’ man thanks to his George Clooney looks and love of cars, which led to a less than sparking scholastic record. His father insisted he return to school to learn some discipline before enlisting in the US Marines. Lutz learned to fly combat jets, and married the first of three wives. He then gained an MBA and decided that, rather than continuing as an officer in the Marines, he would join General Motors in New York, before switching to GM’s Opel division in Germany. Fluent in English, German and French, Bob moved in 1971 to an international role heading up marketing at BMW. He takes credit for saving the design of its kidney-shaped grille but realized he would go no further under a CEO who was just three years older than him.
He moved to Ford in 1974 as the managing director of FoG and was soon fast-tracked to become Chairman of Ford of Europe and later Executive Vice President of Ford's international operations. During the late ’70s, Lutz realized that Ford was beginning to rely exclusively on the talents of Bahnsen’s design team – product quality and driving appeal was missing. He was an enthusiastic backer of Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE), which gave him, and FoE, the chance to quickly design and build charismatic cars. He pushed for the radical design of the Sierra, driven by a desire to create something that no Japanese company could do at the time. He left Ford in 1986 to follow Lee Iacocca to Chrysler as Executive Vice President (and board member) and then, after failing to become CEO, he became President at battery maker Exide. He moved on to later become Chairman of Product Development at GM in the 2000s where he again tried to push the company towards making exciting and interesting cars.
He moved to Ford in 1974 as the managing director of FoG and was soon fast-tracked to become Chairman of Ford of Europe and later Executive Vice President of Ford's international operations. During the late ’70s, Lutz realized that Ford was beginning to rely exclusively on the talents of Bahnsen’s design team – product quality and driving appeal was missing. He was an enthusiastic backer of Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE), which gave him, and FoE, the chance to quickly design and build charismatic cars. He pushed for the radical design of the Sierra, driven by a desire to create something that no Japanese company could do at the time. He left Ford in 1986 to follow Lee Iacocca to Chrysler as Executive Vice President (and board member) and then, after failing to become CEO, he became President at battery maker Exide. He moved on to later become Chairman of Product Development at GM in the 2000s where he again tried to push the company towards making exciting and interesting cars.
Walter Hayes - Vice President
This former copy boy at the London Daily Mail rose to become its Associate Editor and then Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Dispatch. He joined Ford in 1962, beginning a 34-year career that saw him revitalize Ford’s image, first in Britain, then Europe before finally taking over global responsibility for Public Affairs in 1980. The initial task given to him by FoB Chairman Sir Patrick Hennessey was to add glamour to the new Cortina. Hayes called upon an acquaintance who had previously written a motoring column for his newspaper, a successful engineer called Colin Chapman. Together, they devised a plan for Ford to ship partially built Cortinas to a workshop in North London to install Chapmans’ Lotus engines and try racing them. Successful as this was, Hayes would be forever associated with his next big idea. Having seen that motorsport added glamour and prestige to the Cortina he suggested something bigger. At the same Dearborn meeting where Project Colt – the Capri – was signed-off, Hayes proposed that Ford should fund a Formula 1 engine, developed by another small engineering company called Cosworth. He famously told Henry Ford II that, “It’ll be the best £100000 you’ll ever spend.” He was probably right.
Hayes was an ardent supporter of the Capri, encouraging its active promotion in motorsport, long after many within Ford were moving on to new projects. His appreciation of what was needed to build Ford’s brand wasn’t limited to motorsport; he institutionalized a level of professionalism across Ford’s PR activities that made them stand head and shoulders above competitors. His time in Fleet Street meant that he understood why readers trusted the words written in their local newspapers every bit as much, and possibly more, than the splashy words of a commercial. In 1965, he was voted on to the board of FoB and as the decade progressed he became a friend and confident of Henry Ford II, who made him a global VP of the Company when he moved to Dearborn in 1980 for four years. During this time, he appointed Stuart Turner as Director of Motorsports FoE and, after watching the Capri struggling at Silverstone race track, began the plan that led to the Sierra Cosworth. All that worked with him enjoyed his slightly maverick streak and indefatigable nature.
He retired from Ford in 1989 only to take the time to write Henry Ford’s biography and then reappear, first as a Director, and then Chairman of Aston Martin. During his four years at the then Ford-owned company he devised the DB7 and campaigned vigorously and successfully for support from Ford to bring the car to reality, thereby saving Aston Martin from extinction. He finally retired in 1994 and passed away seven years later having left Ford with a legacy of being a company that had greater stature than other, more pedestrian, makers of mass-manufactured cars.
Hayes was an ardent supporter of the Capri, encouraging its active promotion in motorsport, long after many within Ford were moving on to new projects. His appreciation of what was needed to build Ford’s brand wasn’t limited to motorsport; he institutionalized a level of professionalism across Ford’s PR activities that made them stand head and shoulders above competitors. His time in Fleet Street meant that he understood why readers trusted the words written in their local newspapers every bit as much, and possibly more, than the splashy words of a commercial. In 1965, he was voted on to the board of FoB and as the decade progressed he became a friend and confident of Henry Ford II, who made him a global VP of the Company when he moved to Dearborn in 1980 for four years. During this time, he appointed Stuart Turner as Director of Motorsports FoE and, after watching the Capri struggling at Silverstone race track, began the plan that led to the Sierra Cosworth. All that worked with him enjoyed his slightly maverick streak and indefatigable nature.
He retired from Ford in 1989 only to take the time to write Henry Ford’s biography and then reappear, first as a Director, and then Chairman of Aston Martin. During his four years at the then Ford-owned company he devised the DB7 and campaigned vigorously and successfully for support from Ford to bring the car to reality, thereby saving Aston Martin from extinction. He finally retired in 1994 and passed away seven years later having left Ford with a legacy of being a company that had greater stature than other, more pedestrian, makers of mass-manufactured cars.
Uwe Bahnsen - Design VP
The man who would become Ford’s chief designer in Europe was born in Hamburg in 1930 and trained at the city’s Academy of Fine Art before working in retail design. At 22, Uwe met Grand Prix driver Wolfgang von Trips, who introduced him to fast cars and inspired him to compete in motorsport. In 1958, six years later, he combined his passions and joined Ford where he worked initially on colour and trim, an area where he would always excel. He then transferred to Dearborn to broaden his experience and worked on the Mercury range and Lincoln interiors.
A promotion in 1967 made him head of interior design at Dunton, then another took him back to Germany in 1971 to run the entire studio and ultimately all of FoE’s design. By now a confirmed Anglophile, his experience across three countries made him a figurehead for Ford, especially in Germany. His affable demeanour, coupled with his height, thin frame and bushy sideburns, meant that he cut an impressive figure. He was always immaculately dressed and kept smoking apparatus (a favourite pipe) to hand. Bahnsen encouraged designers to develop good taste and push the envelope of what a company like Ford could produce. He understood the need to have a cohesive design language across a vehicle range when Ford’s competition had little or no such understanding of the concept. The designs produced under Bahnsen reflected the man himself. They were tasteful, executed with the utmost care and never dull. Ford rarely promoted personalities but Bahnsen, the designer who loved motorsport, and together with Bob Lutz, the car guy executive whom he met in the mid-’70s, would personify Ford of Europe’s leadership in the late ’70s and early ’80s and transform the company.
A promotion in 1967 made him head of interior design at Dunton, then another took him back to Germany in 1971 to run the entire studio and ultimately all of FoE’s design. By now a confirmed Anglophile, his experience across three countries made him a figurehead for Ford, especially in Germany. His affable demeanour, coupled with his height, thin frame and bushy sideburns, meant that he cut an impressive figure. He was always immaculately dressed and kept smoking apparatus (a favourite pipe) to hand. Bahnsen encouraged designers to develop good taste and push the envelope of what a company like Ford could produce. He understood the need to have a cohesive design language across a vehicle range when Ford’s competition had little or no such understanding of the concept. The designs produced under Bahnsen reflected the man himself. They were tasteful, executed with the utmost care and never dull. Ford rarely promoted personalities but Bahnsen, the designer who loved motorsport, and together with Bob Lutz, the car guy executive whom he met in the mid-’70s, would personify Ford of Europe’s leadership in the late ’70s and early ’80s and transform the company.
Patrick le Quément - Design Director
This well-known designer was born in Marseille but raised in the UK from the age of 12 until he graduated from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in 1966 and went back to France to join Simca. Ford had lost a lot of design talent in 1968 so it drafted in replacements from Dearborn and Cologne, as well as the young le Quément to work on interior design under Uwe Bahnsen. Bahnsen soon spotted in in le Quément something of his own thoughtful approach. He insisted that designers’ ideas could be sold to management by thorough analysis. During the early ’70s, after completing an MBA at Bahnsen’s suggestion, le Quément worked on proposals for the Capri and moved to Merkenich to lead the redesign of his first major project – TC2, the facelifted 1976 Taunus/Cortina. In 1976 Bahnsen appointed le Quément Design Executive in charge of Truck Design and Advanced Exterior Design in the UK before reposting him to Germany in early 1979 as Chief Designer of Exterior Design.
Ford preferred Bahnsen publicly to be ‘The Ford designer’ but when the Probe III show car was unveiled as a teaser for the Sierra, le Quément was celebrated as Sierra’s designer and become forever associated with a shape that would influence car design as much as Chris Bangle’s ‘flame surfaced’ BMWs two decades later. In expectation of being promoted to replace Bahnsen, le Quément moved to Dearborn in 1985 for a two-year assignment. He was dismayed to find Ford appointed executives for no more than four-year postings: if he replaced Bahnsen, after four years he’d be back in Detroit for the rest of his career. So he promptly took up VW’s offer to run its advanced design, with the expectation of being the first head of VW-Audi group design. But after two years, Renault CEO Raymond Levy enticed him to be Vice President, Corporate Design in 1987. He insisted on reporting directly to the Head of R&D and not Body Engineering and ditching outside design consultants for a stronger internal team. His first Renault was the fresh-looking Twingo which was followed by the highly successful Mégane and its spin-off, the Scénic, a ‘segment-busting’ small-people carrier. Increasingly emboldened by strong design, Patrick oversaw more controversial products, including the Mégane II which was nevertheless voted European Car of the Year, and the Avantime. He strongly disagreed with the Vel Satis programme direction – he preferred a proposal based on the 1995 concept car Initiale – but was over-ruled and the car’s failure damaged his reputation. Then came one of his biggest challenges as Senior Vice President of Quality and Corporate Design on Renault’s board with a brief to design in quality across product development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and management. He retired in April 2009 after a glittering career of 22 years at Renault and 17 at Ford. Over 40 years, he was involved in the design of 60 million production vehicles, a sobering thought that led him to give planet a break.
After Renault, with two colleagues Patrick founded the Sustainable Design School in Nice to pursue a new passion designing sailing boats. Since 2010, he has designed more than 20. Several were voted boats of the year in Europe and the US. Patrick is working on a book titled Design, between the lines.
Ford preferred Bahnsen publicly to be ‘The Ford designer’ but when the Probe III show car was unveiled as a teaser for the Sierra, le Quément was celebrated as Sierra’s designer and become forever associated with a shape that would influence car design as much as Chris Bangle’s ‘flame surfaced’ BMWs two decades later. In expectation of being promoted to replace Bahnsen, le Quément moved to Dearborn in 1985 for a two-year assignment. He was dismayed to find Ford appointed executives for no more than four-year postings: if he replaced Bahnsen, after four years he’d be back in Detroit for the rest of his career. So he promptly took up VW’s offer to run its advanced design, with the expectation of being the first head of VW-Audi group design. But after two years, Renault CEO Raymond Levy enticed him to be Vice President, Corporate Design in 1987. He insisted on reporting directly to the Head of R&D and not Body Engineering and ditching outside design consultants for a stronger internal team. His first Renault was the fresh-looking Twingo which was followed by the highly successful Mégane and its spin-off, the Scénic, a ‘segment-busting’ small-people carrier. Increasingly emboldened by strong design, Patrick oversaw more controversial products, including the Mégane II which was nevertheless voted European Car of the Year, and the Avantime. He strongly disagreed with the Vel Satis programme direction – he preferred a proposal based on the 1995 concept car Initiale – but was over-ruled and the car’s failure damaged his reputation. Then came one of his biggest challenges as Senior Vice President of Quality and Corporate Design on Renault’s board with a brief to design in quality across product development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and management. He retired in April 2009 after a glittering career of 22 years at Renault and 17 at Ford. Over 40 years, he was involved in the design of 60 million production vehicles, a sobering thought that led him to give planet a break.
After Renault, with two colleagues Patrick founded the Sustainable Design School in Nice to pursue a new passion designing sailing boats. Since 2010, he has designed more than 20. Several were voted boats of the year in Europe and the US. Patrick is working on a book titled Design, between the lines.
Jac Nasser - CEO
Multi-lingual Nasser, one of Ford’s highest-profile CEOs, was born in Lebanon in 1947 and grew up in Melbourne after his family emigrated to Australia when he was four. He started several businesses as a teenage entrepreneur and then graduated with a business degree from the esteemed Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. After an internship at Ford Australia he joined the staff in 1968 as a financial analyst. Within 15 years he’d moved onto Dearborn’s global financial staff before transferring to NAAO’s Truck Operations. By then he’d shown that he wasn’t just a finance man. He was posted back to Australia as Manager of the Program Timing Office before joining Ford's International Automotive Operations. His career accelerated as he began managing sections of Ford Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Jac’s fluency in English, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish came in handy in the mid-’80s when he was kidnapped by political extremists in Argentina while he was setting up Autolatina, a joint venture with VW that he later managed – from 1989, simultaneously with Ford Australia.
Jac worked brutal 18-hour days and a gained a reputation as a ruthless cost cutter that earned him the nickname Jac the Knife. In January 1993 he became FoE’s Chairman and a year later Group Vice President of Product Development. Seen very much as a product man, he became Alex Trotman’s expected successor as CEO after moving back to Dearborn in 1996, and duly became the top executive in 1999.
Nasser was a cost-cutter of a different breed and a visionary who set out to reinvent Ford. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that he slashed $4 billion in costs over 18 months and, more controversially, instituted a plan to fire 10 per cent of Ford’s lowest performing managers each year and replace them with fresh talent. His goal was to reduce costs and expand the highly profitable business into a ‘consumer products and services company’ by acquiring scrap yards, exhaust fast-fit chains, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover while bringing in outsiders. His downfall began in mid-2001 when he became mired in the controversy around Firestone tyres on some Ford Explorers. The press started criticising his diversification plans, and Ford employees and the Ford family hated seeing the blue oval removed from the Dearborn HQ in favour of the ‘Trustmark’ that spelled out Ford Motor Company in italicized script. Nasser allegedly came to blows with Chairman and President Bill Ford and by October he was gone, at 53. Nasser became a partner at One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase that bid for Jaguar after Ford sold Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin. In 2006 he joined the board of BHP Billiton, an Australian-based global mining company, and served as its chairman from 2010 until he retired in 2017. He was given Australia’s highest honour, Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2017.
Jac worked brutal 18-hour days and a gained a reputation as a ruthless cost cutter that earned him the nickname Jac the Knife. In January 1993 he became FoE’s Chairman and a year later Group Vice President of Product Development. Seen very much as a product man, he became Alex Trotman’s expected successor as CEO after moving back to Dearborn in 1996, and duly became the top executive in 1999.
Nasser was a cost-cutter of a different breed and a visionary who set out to reinvent Ford. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that he slashed $4 billion in costs over 18 months and, more controversially, instituted a plan to fire 10 per cent of Ford’s lowest performing managers each year and replace them with fresh talent. His goal was to reduce costs and expand the highly profitable business into a ‘consumer products and services company’ by acquiring scrap yards, exhaust fast-fit chains, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover while bringing in outsiders. His downfall began in mid-2001 when he became mired in the controversy around Firestone tyres on some Ford Explorers. The press started criticising his diversification plans, and Ford employees and the Ford family hated seeing the blue oval removed from the Dearborn HQ in favour of the ‘Trustmark’ that spelled out Ford Motor Company in italicized script. Nasser allegedly came to blows with Chairman and President Bill Ford and by October he was gone, at 53. Nasser became a partner at One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase that bid for Jaguar after Ford sold Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin. In 2006 he joined the board of BHP Billiton, an Australian-based global mining company, and served as its chairman from 2010 until he retired in 2017. He was given Australia’s highest honour, Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2017.
Richard Parry-Jones - Chief Technical Officer
This talented engineer is credited with adding a unique appeal worldwide to the way Fords drive. His interest in cars came from his mother, a keen motor sport enthusiast who took him to watch F1 races, and to see the RAC Rally in the nearby Welsh forests. By the age of 10 he had decided to be an automotive engineer and wrote to Ford two years later asking about jobs. He had to wait until he was 17 before joining as an undergraduate engineering trainee in 1969. He graduated from Salford University in 1973 with a first-class degree in Mechanical Engineering. During his 38 years with Ford, he’d go on to be its leading engineer.
In 1982 he became Manager of Small Car Programs and then moved on to oversee CDW27, the Mondeo. Unlike the CE14 Escort, the Sierra replacement was an outstandingly good car. A capably brisk driver, quite capable of showcasing the limits of his vehicles’ abilities to journalists and engineers alike, Richard gained fame initially because of the Mondeo’s ‘control weights’. Every element with which drivers interacted – steering, brakes, gearshift and even the heater controls – all had a natural weight, unencumbered by the friction of the parts in between. Press and public alike appreciated that Fords now felt notably different and nicer to drive, even if they couldn’t quite say why. RP-J, as he’s universally known, took a leading role in the development of the Puma, which became a critical success because of its handling and its engine’s sophistication. Thanks to the stronger design and better engineering that Parry-Jones pushed, Ford’s reputation improved dramatically in the mid-’90s after a decade of darkness.
This led to Parry-Jones’ continuing ascendancy and he was awarded Man of the Year in 1994 by the UK’s Autocar magazine and again in 1997 by Automobile in the US. RP-J was promoted to oversee development of all Ford vehicles worldwide, as well as design, research and vehicle technology. As Chief Technical Officer he held board responsibility for all technical matters and led a staff of more than 30,000 across all Ford’s regions, as well as at Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, until he retired in 2007.
He then became progressively more involved in policy-making at Welsh and UK government level, working to ensure the voice of business was heard in economic and infrastructure policy and that the role of the automotive industry was understood at the highest levels. He divides his time between running his engineering consulting business and the luxury spa hotel he’s set up – in north Wales, naturally.
In 1982 he became Manager of Small Car Programs and then moved on to oversee CDW27, the Mondeo. Unlike the CE14 Escort, the Sierra replacement was an outstandingly good car. A capably brisk driver, quite capable of showcasing the limits of his vehicles’ abilities to journalists and engineers alike, Richard gained fame initially because of the Mondeo’s ‘control weights’. Every element with which drivers interacted – steering, brakes, gearshift and even the heater controls – all had a natural weight, unencumbered by the friction of the parts in between. Press and public alike appreciated that Fords now felt notably different and nicer to drive, even if they couldn’t quite say why. RP-J, as he’s universally known, took a leading role in the development of the Puma, which became a critical success because of its handling and its engine’s sophistication. Thanks to the stronger design and better engineering that Parry-Jones pushed, Ford’s reputation improved dramatically in the mid-’90s after a decade of darkness.
This led to Parry-Jones’ continuing ascendancy and he was awarded Man of the Year in 1994 by the UK’s Autocar magazine and again in 1997 by Automobile in the US. RP-J was promoted to oversee development of all Ford vehicles worldwide, as well as design, research and vehicle technology. As Chief Technical Officer he held board responsibility for all technical matters and led a staff of more than 30,000 across all Ford’s regions, as well as at Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, until he retired in 2007.
He then became progressively more involved in policy-making at Welsh and UK government level, working to ensure the voice of business was heard in economic and infrastructure policy and that the role of the automotive industry was understood at the highest levels. He divides his time between running his engineering consulting business and the luxury spa hotel he’s set up – in north Wales, naturally.
Bill Camplisson - Marketing Programs Director
Born just nine miles from Ford’s Dagenham factory, this product planner started his career at Ford of Britain in 1960 as a management trainee in Dagenham’s purchasing department. He heard of a secretive department that evaluated competitor products. Although he wasn’t allowed to, Camplisson contacted the personnel manager for Product Planning and Styling at Aveley. The department was led by Terence Beckett, father of the Cortina and Transit. Bill managed to secure a meeting there with Alex Trotman, Car Planning Manager. They talked for hours about Ford, cars and money – long enough for Camplisson to be offered a job on the spot, with the promise that he would never have to buy a car or petrol again. It was a 22-year-old car enthusiast’s dream job: reading every car magazine and buying every UK competitor to Ford’s products to assess first-hand. Alex (who would later be made Baron Trotman) and Bill became firm friends and, although Camplisson was ambitious, he always believed that his hero’s dedication to Ford would one day see him run the Company. He was right.
After four years, and in the absence of a direct boss, Camplisson found himself working ever-closer with Trotman, and running the Cortina planning office at the age of 26. Although considered by Walter Hayes too young to be negotiating with Lotus’ Colin Chapman, Bill’s first company car was a Lotus Cortina. As was tradition for a 20-something at Ford, he crashed it heavily while challenging a Mark 2 Jaguar in a corner on a wet Essex road and demolished a ladies’ toilet. The Cortina 1600E was one small project created on Camplisson’s watch. It set the template for the later E-for-Executive Fords and Ghias that followed.
In summer 1966 Trotman was appointed to run Product Planning for Germany too, as a precursor to Ford of Europe’s initiation a year later. One of his immediate tasks was to review and commonise the two companies’ jumbled selection of powertrains. He promoted Camplisson to Manager, Advanced Programme Planning, and they flew to Detroit to present their plans to Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca – and survived. For the next six years Bill worked in Product Planning in various roles, including FoE Speciality Car Planning, overseeing Project Diana – the Capri II. In 1973, he embarked on an extensive career development programme across FoE’s Sales and Marketing organisations.
Camplisson followed Trotman to Detroit in 1977 as Manager, Pre Program Planning, North American Automotive Operations, and greatly enjoyed the level of professionalism and education of his colleagues. However, he was less comfortable with NAAO’s slavish attention to GM’s activities, the annual model years changes and a huge engineering staff who were concerned less with designing exciting cars than meeting legislative needs. He escaped to California, with his family, after being awarded a Sloan Fellowship at Stanford. He attained a masters degree in management then returned to Dearborn in 1980 only to find that there were no jobs. He contacted Bob Lutz, whom he knew well, and was seconded back to Europe as Director of Marketing Plans and Programs. He oversaw the launch of many of the iconic ’80s Fords, and later returned to his Planning roots to co-direct, with Volkswagen, Auto Europa’s Galaxie/Sharan Programme. Bill retired in 1994, taking his RS200 with him, and continued his habit of owning a plethora of interesting cars. He even bought his own train set, full-size and seven miles long, running through Epping Forest.
After four years, and in the absence of a direct boss, Camplisson found himself working ever-closer with Trotman, and running the Cortina planning office at the age of 26. Although considered by Walter Hayes too young to be negotiating with Lotus’ Colin Chapman, Bill’s first company car was a Lotus Cortina. As was tradition for a 20-something at Ford, he crashed it heavily while challenging a Mark 2 Jaguar in a corner on a wet Essex road and demolished a ladies’ toilet. The Cortina 1600E was one small project created on Camplisson’s watch. It set the template for the later E-for-Executive Fords and Ghias that followed.
In summer 1966 Trotman was appointed to run Product Planning for Germany too, as a precursor to Ford of Europe’s initiation a year later. One of his immediate tasks was to review and commonise the two companies’ jumbled selection of powertrains. He promoted Camplisson to Manager, Advanced Programme Planning, and they flew to Detroit to present their plans to Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca – and survived. For the next six years Bill worked in Product Planning in various roles, including FoE Speciality Car Planning, overseeing Project Diana – the Capri II. In 1973, he embarked on an extensive career development programme across FoE’s Sales and Marketing organisations.
Camplisson followed Trotman to Detroit in 1977 as Manager, Pre Program Planning, North American Automotive Operations, and greatly enjoyed the level of professionalism and education of his colleagues. However, he was less comfortable with NAAO’s slavish attention to GM’s activities, the annual model years changes and a huge engineering staff who were concerned less with designing exciting cars than meeting legislative needs. He escaped to California, with his family, after being awarded a Sloan Fellowship at Stanford. He attained a masters degree in management then returned to Dearborn in 1980 only to find that there were no jobs. He contacted Bob Lutz, whom he knew well, and was seconded back to Europe as Director of Marketing Plans and Programs. He oversaw the launch of many of the iconic ’80s Fords, and later returned to his Planning roots to co-direct, with Volkswagen, Auto Europa’s Galaxie/Sharan Programme. Bill retired in 1994, taking his RS200 with him, and continued his habit of owning a plethora of interesting cars. He even bought his own train set, full-size and seven miles long, running through Epping Forest.
Alex Trotman - CEO
This London-born and Edinburgh-schooled son of an upholsterer joined Ford’s purchasing department at Dagenham as a management trainee in 1955 after serving in the Royal Air Force as a navigator-officer. During his 43-year career Alex would rise to the very top of Ford and become its first non-American CEO, truly a rags to riches story. After initially chasing radiator deliveries for the Consul, he was promoted to Chief Product Analyst on Project Archbishop, the 1962 Cortina, under Terence Beckett. They would receive much acclaim for the car and when Beckett moved up in 1967 Trotman took over as Product Planning Manager just as the discipline was becoming more powerful and pan-European.
He paid his own way to Dearborn in 1969 and, over the next six years, rose to be Chief Car Planning Manager, a big achievement for a foreigner. After 10 years he returned to Europe as VP of Truck Operations for four years. He started his first regional leadership role in 1983 when he took over Ford Asia-Pacific. Under his leadership, Ford became the market leader in Australia and tackled the ascent of Japanese cars by teaming up with Mazda, then 24.5 per cent Ford-owned. After five years in Melbourne he moved again to became FoE’s Chairman for a year. In 1989 he was off once more, this time to head up North American Automotive Operations and, having run all three global regions, it was obvious he was headed for the top.
In four years he was Ford’s Chairman and Chief Executive, with a mission to restructure the company. His respect for Mazda, gained in Australia, coupled with a product planner’s desire to optimize every car and component, remained. As cars became more complex and costs spiralled, he pushed for platform sharing with Mazda and across Ford regions. His Ford 2000 plan centralized control in Detroit: no longer could regions develop vehicles independently without considering other markets’ needs. Never a high-profile CEO, Alex’s major restructure achieved efficiency but some felt it reduced Ford’s soul. After five years the Ford family wanted more control and a less autocratic leader, and installed Bill Ford. Frustrated by not being able to appoint his successor, Alex left in 1988, a year earlier than expected. Briefly, he was ICI’s Chairman. He was knighted in 1996, became a life peer in 1999 and died in 2005.
He paid his own way to Dearborn in 1969 and, over the next six years, rose to be Chief Car Planning Manager, a big achievement for a foreigner. After 10 years he returned to Europe as VP of Truck Operations for four years. He started his first regional leadership role in 1983 when he took over Ford Asia-Pacific. Under his leadership, Ford became the market leader in Australia and tackled the ascent of Japanese cars by teaming up with Mazda, then 24.5 per cent Ford-owned. After five years in Melbourne he moved again to became FoE’s Chairman for a year. In 1989 he was off once more, this time to head up North American Automotive Operations and, having run all three global regions, it was obvious he was headed for the top.
In four years he was Ford’s Chairman and Chief Executive, with a mission to restructure the company. His respect for Mazda, gained in Australia, coupled with a product planner’s desire to optimize every car and component, remained. As cars became more complex and costs spiralled, he pushed for platform sharing with Mazda and across Ford regions. His Ford 2000 plan centralized control in Detroit: no longer could regions develop vehicles independently without considering other markets’ needs. Never a high-profile CEO, Alex’s major restructure achieved efficiency but some felt it reduced Ford’s soul. After five years the Ford family wanted more control and a less autocratic leader, and installed Bill Ford. Frustrated by not being able to appoint his successor, Alex left in 1988, a year earlier than expected. Briefly, he was ICI’s Chairman. He was knighted in 1996, became a life peer in 1999 and died in 2005.