Automotive manufacturing
10 Ford operations leaders
These ten people hold or have held director-level or higher manufacturing and operations roles at Ford Motor Company, from a chief manufacturing officer and manufacturing vice presidents to directors running vehicle and powertrain plants. A reader can learn how Ford runs its plants and how manufacturing decisions are made across regions.
Professionals to explore
01—10Bryce Currie
LinkedInExperience: Chief Manufacturing Officer · Ford Motor Company
Chief Manufacturing Officer at Ford Motor Company since October 2025, with a headline covering global manufacturing, MP&L, manufacturing engineering, safety and FPS. Bryce Currie was previously Vice President - Americas Manufacturing, Global MP&L, Manuf. Eng - Company Officer - Ford Motor (2023–2025) and Chief Manufacturing Officer Global Vice President at Johnson Controls (2022–2023).
Daniel Ruiz
LinkedInExperience: Director Manufacturing Vehicle and Powertrain Operations - Ford Motor Company, Spain · Ford Motor Company
Director Manufacturing Vehicle and Powertrain Operations - Ford Motor Company, Spain since January 2024, and a member of the Board of Directors of Ford of Spain since 2024. Daniel Ruiz was also Director Manufacturing Strategy and Advanced Planning.- Europe (2020–2023) and General Manufacturing Manager at Ford Motor Company (Valencia) (2015–2020).
Eduardo Villegas
LinkedInExperience: Director, Manufacturing Operations Ford Mexico · Ford Motor Company
Director, Manufacturing Operations Ford Mexico at Ford Motor Company since March 2026, alongside the title Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly Plant Mgr. since 2021. Eduardo Villegas was also Chihuahua Engine Plant Site Mgr. (2013–2021) and Cuautitlan Stamping & Assembly Plant Mgr. (2009–2013) at Ford.
Jeff Wood
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Manufacturing, Ford of Europe, Middle East & Africa · Ford Motor Company
Former Vice President Manufacturing, Ford of Europe, Middle East & Africa at Ford Motor Company (2012–2015), and a board member for Ford's Romania, Otosan Turkey and Russia joint ventures (2012–2014). The headline describes Jeff Wood as retired, with experience in general management, operations, quality and operations restructuring.
Joe Closurdo
LinkedInExperience: Director of Manufacturing · Ford Motor Company
Director of Manufacturing at Ford Motor Company since December 2024, with a headline covering Ford Truck: F-Series, Commercial, Transit, Expedition and Navigator. Joe Closurdo was also Plant Manager - Kentucky Truck Plant (2022–2024) and Plant Manager - Louisville Assembly Plant (2019–2022) at Ford.
John Savona
LinkedInExperience: Vice President - Manufacturing and Labor Affairs - Ford Motor Company · Ford Motor Company
Former Vice President - Manufacturing and Labor Affairs - Ford Motor Company (2021–2023), responsible for global manufacturing strategy and talent development along with labor affairs. John Savona was also Vice President - North American Manufacturing (2018–2021), Director of Manufacturing-Ford North America (2013–2017) and Plant Manager-Louisville Assembly Plant (2011–2013).
Kieran Cahill
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Manufacturing Operations · Ford Motor Company
Vice President Manufacturing Operations at Ford Motor Company since October 2020, a President/Vice President-level operations role. Kieran Cahill was also Manufacturing Director VO & PTO Europe (2018–2020) and Manufacturing Director Powertrain Operations Europe (2016–2018) at Ford, and the profile lists a Manufacturing Engineer role there (1989–1991).
Mike Felix
LinkedInExperience: Director of Manufacturing Operations · Ford Motor Company
Former Director of Manufacturing Operations at Ford Motor Company (2019–2024), with a headline reading Director of Manufacturing, Powertrain Operations - Retired. Mike Felix was also Global Chief Engineer - Powertrain Mfg Eng at Ford (2017–2019) and Plant Manager at Ford (2011–2015 and 2016–2017), and sat on the Board of Directors of Nemak (2020–2023).
Shaun Whitehead
LinkedInExperience: Director of Manufacturing - Vehicle Operations · Ford Motor Company
Director of Manufacturing - Vehicle Operations at Ford Motor Company, a role the profile lists from 2021 and describes as leading several North American plants including Dearborn Truck, Michigan Assembly and Kansas City Truck and Transit; the headline describes Shaun Whitehead as retired. Other Ford roles include Director of Manufacturing, Transmission and Driveline Components (2019–2020) and Plant Manager Van Dyke Transmission (2017–2019).
Thomas Bradley
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director of Manufacturing · Ford Motor Company
Executive Director of Manufacturing at Ford Motor Company, a title the profile lists from November 2024 onward, with a headline naming Michigan Assembly (Bronco & Ranger), Flat Rock Assembly (Mustang) and Powertrain Manufacturing. Thomas Bradley was previously Senior Executive Director, GM - Turbine Airfoils Value Stream at GE Aerospace (2023–2024).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's scope to your question, since a global or regional manufacturing vice president sees different decisions than a director running a group of truck or powertrain plants. Check each person's dates and whether a Ford role is current before relying on their view of how the company operates today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does Ford plan a new vehicle launch at an existing assembly plant without disrupting current production?
- 02How are manufacturing decisions split between Ford's global leadership and regional or plant-level directors?
- 03How does Ford measure plant performance, and what levers does it use when a plant falls behind on cost or quality?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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