Ford China CEO Chen Anning announces retirement, successor named

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On February 24, Ford China announced that their CEO and president, Chen Anning, will officially retire on October 1, 2023. After stepping down from his role at Ford China, Chen will participate in projects focused on enhancing the company's global strategic competitiveness and business growth, while continuing to report to Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor.

Photo credit: Ford

Effective March 1, the current managing director and COO of Ford China, Wu Shengbo, will officially take over as CEO and president of Ford China, reporting to Jim Farley.

As a long-standing member of the Ford team, Chen Anning has worked with the company for nearly 20 years, holding executive management positions in small car development, platform technology R&D, and joint venture business expansion. In 2009, he left Ford and returned to China to join Chery Holding, where he served as CEO and chairman of Qoros Auto, general manager of Chery Automobile, and chairman of Chery Jaguar Land Rover. In October 2018, Chen returned to Ford to serve as CEO and president of Ford China.

Notably, Chen's return in 2018 coincided with a low point for Ford China. That year, Ford's annual sales in China plummeted to only 377,763 units, representing a decrease of over 50% compared to 2017. In this regard, his return was seen as taking the helm during a crisis.

Over the next two years, Ford China continued to improve its product lineup and actively embraced electrification, steadily improving its brand strength in the local market. Under Chen's leadership, Ford China successfully promoted the localization of the Lincoln brand and launched several domestically produced Lincoln SUV models, achieving rapid and sustained growth for the brand.