10 Ford leaders in new roles in 2026
These ten Ford leaders each started their current role at Ford Motor Company in 2026, from directors of engineering and finance directors to a vice president of continuous improvement and the CFO of Ford Pro Europe. A reader can learn how Ford leaders approach a role they started in 2026 from people who hold one now.
Professionals to explore
Alvin Johnson
LinkedInExperience: CFO Ford Pro Europe · Ford Motor Company
Alvin Johnson has been CFO Ford Pro Europe at Ford Motor Company since July 2026, based in the United Kingdom. Their listed Ford roles also include Director, Global Manufacturing, Material Planning and Logistics Finance from 2024 to 2026, Controller, North America Vehicle Operations from 2023 to 2024, and Director, Global Ford Blue FP&A from 2022 to 2023.
Franco Palotta
LinkedInExperience: South America Treasurer, FP&A, Internal Control and Finance Innovation Dir · Ford Motor Company
Franco Palotta has been South America Treasurer, FP&A, Internal Control and Finance Innovation Dir at Ford Motor Company since June 2026, based in São Paulo. Their listed Ford roles also include South America FP&A (Mgr.) from 2024 to 2026, Marketing and Sales Controller (Mgr.) from 2022 to 2024, and South America Finance Strategy from 2019 to 2021.
Greg Pownell
LinkedInExperience: Finance Senior Director, Integrated Services · Ford Motor Company
Greg Pownell has been Finance Senior Director, Integrated Services at Ford Motor Company since July 2026, based in the Boston area. The listing also shows Finance Director, Integrated Services at Ford from 2023 to 2026, Director of Finance at Nike from 2019 to 2023, and Sr. Director Of Finance at Celect, Inc. in 2019.
Karthik A V
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering · Ford Motor Company
Karthik A V has been Director of Engineering at Ford Motor Company since April 2026, based in Chennai. Their listed Ford roles also include Product Leader, Ford Pro Tech (equivalent to Director) from 2023 to 2026, Information Technology Delivery Manager from 2017 to 2023, and Manager from 2012 to 2017.
Nathaniel Wood
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Cloud Network, SRE, & Observability · Ford Motor Company
Nathaniel Wood has been Senior Director, Cloud Network, SRE, & Observability at Ford Motor Company since April 2026. The listing also shows Senior Director, Cloud Network at Ford from 2024 to 2026, Director, Infrastructure & Network Engineering at Chewy from 2021 to 2024, and Senior Manager, SaaS Public Cloud and Infrastructure Automation at UKG from 2020 to 2021.
Nimisha Shah
LinkedInExperience: Director - Vehicle Cloud & Mobility, Connected Intelligence Data Platform & AI Engineering · Ford Motor Company
Nimisha Shah has been Director - Vehicle Cloud & Mobility, Connected Intelligence Data Platform & AI Engineering at Ford Motor Company since October 2026. The listing also shows Director - Cloud Databases, Messaging services, DB Strategy & Governance at Ford from March 2025 with no end date, and Director- Database As A Service (Multi Cloud), Platform Services from 2021 to 2025.
Nitesh Shah
LinkedInExperience: Director, Global Marketing and Sales Structural Costs and Modernisation Controller · Ford Motor Company
Nitesh Shah has been Director, Global Marketing and Sales Structural Costs and Modernisation Controller at Ford Motor Company since August 2026, based in Chennai. Their listed Ford roles also include Lead M&S Finance, FIS Finance CoE & AI Advancement from 2022 to 2026 and Product Development Controller (B Car Mahindra-Ford JV Phase) from 2019 to 2022.
Oliver Schade
LinkedInExperience: Director - Engineering · Ford Motor Company
Oliver Schade has been Director - Engineering at Ford Motor Company since May 2026, based in Santa Barbara. The listing also shows Global Director - Test Systems at MAHLE from 2022 to 2026, Director - Engineering & OE Sales at MAHLE from 2021 to 2022, and Site Lead Engineering Manager - ADAS & OE Diagnostics at Bosch from 2020 to 2021.
Tomaz Seignemartin
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Continuous Improvement · Ford Motor Company
Tomaz Seignemartin has been Vice President, Continuous Improvement at Ford Motor Company since August 2026, and the highlight says the role is accountable for the deployment and execution of the Ford Operating System. The listing also shows Vice President, CORE Operating System (Operational Excellence) at RTX from 2024 to 2026 and Vice President, Internal Capacity Growth at Raytheon from April to August 2026.
Wil Velez
LinkedInExperience: Finance Director Advanced EV Development · Ford Motor Company
Wil Velez has been Finance Director Advanced EV Development at Ford Motor Company since September 2026, and the highlight says Wil Velez leads the Advanced EV R&D Finance team. The listing also shows Head of Finance Systems at Lucid Motors from 2024 to 2026, Corporate FP&A at Lucid Motors from 2022 to 2024, and Go-To-Market Finance Lead at Faraday Future from 2018 to 2022.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's function and current scope to your question, since engineering, finance, operations and cloud platform leaders each see a different part of the business. People whose 2026 role started earliest in the year have had the most time in it.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on in your first months in your current role?
- 02Which parts of your earlier roles have been most useful in the role you hold now?
- 03How do you decide which priorities to take on first when you start a new role at a large company?
Reaching Ford leaders in new roles in 2026
How can I contact one of these Ford leaders in new roles in 2026?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Ford Motor Company, based on profile data retrieved on October 22, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Ford leaders in new roles in 2026?
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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