Mr. Philip Spender currently serves as chief operating officer for Ford Motor (China) Ltd., overseeing the company's operations and joint ventures in Greater China. He was formerly president of Chang'an Ford Mazda Automobile Corporation Limited (CFMA), a joint venture of China's Chang'an Automobile Group, Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corporation.
Prior to coming to China he was president & CEO of Auto Alliance International Inc. (AAI), a Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corporation joint venture in North America, where he was responsible for the launches of the new Mazda 6 and Mustang vehicles.
Mr. Spender joined Ford New Zealand in 1975 as a product engineer and served in a variety of manufacturing and engineering roles and participated in the first Ford and Mazda joint vehicle programs. As Assembly Operations Planning Manager he was involved in the formation of the first Ford and Mazda manufacturing joint venture, Vehicle Assemblers New Zealand Ltd. (VANZ).
In 1985 he moved to Ford Australia serving variously as Plant Manager of the plastics operations, Stamping operations and the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant in Melbourne. In 1998 he became Managing Director & CEO of Mahindra Ford in India transitioning the company to Ford India and the commissioning of the Maraimalai Nagar site near Chennai.
Mr. Spender earned a New Zealand Certificate in engineering from the Central Institute of Technology in New Zealand, competed the Advanced Management Program at Melbourne University's Graduate School of Management in Australia and was conferred an honorary Doctorate in business administration by Burkes University.