Mark Schulz to Retire After More Than 30 Years with Ford

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company said today that Mark Schulz, executive vice president and president, International Operations, has announced his plans to retire from the company early next year.

As president of International Operations, Schulz, 54, is responsible for the Company's business in Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. He oversees the global activities of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, as well as the company's partnership with Mazda Motor Corporation.

"I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mark over the years and am personally grateful to him for his vision, his leadership and his dedication to the Ford Motor Company," said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. "Most recently he has overseen significant growth of Ford's business in some of our most important regions around the world and he has built an organization that is poised to deliver further growth in the future. I wish him and his family all the best in his retirement."

Prior to his current position, Schulz served as executive vice president, Ford Motor Company and president, Asia Pacific and Africa. And, he led Asia Pacific and Ford South America Operations as a corporate vice president. Prior to his election as a corporate officer, Schulz was the head of Ford's operations in Turkey for five years.

Earlier in his Ford career, Schulz held several product engineering and manufacturing positions, including director, Product Development, Ford Japan; director of the Corporate Strategy Office; Plant Manager of Ford's Sheldon Road facility; and vehicle line director of Compact Trucks in North America. He began his career with Ford as an assembly line worker in 1970.

"Mark has been indispensable in helping me become familiar with Ford's operations in the fastest-growing and most competitive markets in the world," said Alan Mulally, Ford's president and CEO. "Because of his leadership and because of the relationships he has built on our behalf, Mark leaves us with a strong foundation on which to grow our business in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world."

Schulz serves as a member of several boards, including the National Committee of United States-China Relations, the United States-China Business Council and the National Bureau of Asian Research. He also is a member of the International Advisory Board for the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University and master's degrees from the University of Detroit (Economics) and the University of Michigan (Engineering), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Sloan Fellow.

Any changes in structure and organization that result from Schulz's retirement will be the topic of a future announcement.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and more than 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive- related services include Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com/ .