Jim Farley, currently Ford group vice president, Global Marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations, will take an expanded role as Ford’s global leader for marketing, sales and service around the world. This marks the first time Ford has a single global leader for marketing, sales and service. The move is effective Aug. 1.
Farley is the company’s most senior marketing leader, reporting directly to Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and chief executive officer.
Effective Sept. 1, 2009, Farley added leadership of Ford’s operations in Canada, Mexico and South America, reporting directly to Mark Fields, Ford’s president, The Americas.
Farley, 48, joined Ford in November 2007. He is leading Ford’s drive to connect even more closely with customers through integrated global marketing, advertising, digital communications, brand development and research. He will also continue working closely with Ford's product development organization on strategy and planning and overseas operations. Farley's achievements at Ford include improving overall operation fitness of the company's marketing and sales operations, his work to globally align the brand, and integration of the global marketing and sales team.
The Chief Marketing Office and Operations staff from Canada, Mexico and South America report to Farley.
Prior to joining Ford, Farley was group vice president and general manager of Lexus, responsible for all sales, marketing and customer satisfaction activities for Toyota’s luxury brand. Before leading Lexus, Farley served as group vice president of Toyota Division marketing and was responsible for all Toyota Division market planning, advertising, merchandising, sales promotion, incentives and Internet activities.
Farley joined Toyota in 1990 in the strategic planning department. He served in several product and marketing positions, including Lexus product planner, manager of Toyota truck product planning, manager of the Toyota truck series team marketing and national advertising manager. He also was general manager of product management for Toyota Europe.
One of Farley’s most noted accomplishments is his responsibility for the successful launch and rollout of Toyota’s new Scion brand. As Scion corporate manager, Farley focused on product development, sales planning, customer services, logistics and distribution. He later was promoted to vice president of Scion and was responsible for all Scion activities.
Farley attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and computer science, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he completed his MBA with a focus in finance. Farley and his wife, Lia, have two children.