Strategy and Governance > Prioritizing Key Issues > 

Stakeholder Engagement

Every day, at every level of the business, we engage with a large number of stakeholders, both formally and informally. These interactions are crucial to Ford, enabling us to respond effectively on sustainability challenges and opportunities affecting us all.

Key Stakeholders

Below, we have identified our key stakeholder groups and summarized the channels we use to maintain dialogue with them. For each group, the engagement varies on a case-by-case basis, and includes formal and informal channels that are used to varying degrees of regularity.

 Communities

  • Community Relations Committees
  • Interactions with governments
  • Membership of associations
  • Dialogue with nongovernmental organizations
  • Ford Fund
  • Driving Skills for Life program

Operations in more than 100 countries worldwide

 Customers

  • Consumer Insight process
  • Market research
  • Customer care programs
  • Dealer interactions
  • Ford.com website
  • Ford owners’ magazine

6.6 million vehicles sold

 Dealers

  • Intranet communications
  • Brand sales and service representatives
  • Brand Dealer Councils
  • Dealer roundtables
  • President’s Circle
  • Salute to Dealers
  • Advertising and public service announcements
  • Dealer Attitude Survey

11,737 dealerships worldwide

 Employees

  • Intranet site
  • Sustainability Report and executive summary
  • Social media applications
  • Union representatives
  • Joint labor–management committees
  • Webcasts, videos, blogs and executive Q&A sessions with senior management
  • “Town Hall” meetings
  • Employee surveys
  • Employee Resource Group initiatives
  • Test drive and product reveal events

201,287 employees across the globe

 Investors

  • Investment community forums
  • Quarterly earnings communications
  • Annual shareholders’ meeting
  • Annual report
  • Proxy statement
  • SEC filings (e.g., 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K)
  • Ratings and rankings

125,465 stockholders

 Suppliers

  • Top Supplier meetings
  • Ford Partnership for A Cleaner Environment (PACE)
  • Aligned Business Framework supplier dialogue sessions
  • Supplier quality roundtables
  • Supplier Diversity Development Networking
  • External supplier organizations
  • Coalitions including EICC

Total global spend of more than $110 billion

Engagement on This Report

Specific reviewers of the report include our Sustainability and Innovation Board Committee (who review our Executive Summary Report as part of their charter), the Global Executive Leadership team, global subject matter experts, the SE&SE Vice-President, Ceres, employees, sustainability think tanks and non-automotive corporations.

As part of the report preparation process, we specifically engage with a Ceres Stakeholder Committee to gain a multi-stakeholder perspective on sustainability topics. For further details of their feedback and our responses, see About This Report.