Future of No 2 at Ford is unclear

DETROIT: Ford Motor’s surprise appointment of an outsider as CEO on Tuesday raised questions about the future of its fastest-rising executive, Mark Fields, though analysts said he still had plenty to offer the struggling automaker.

He was Ford’s head of North American operations, had been widely considered the heir apparent to Bill Ford Jr. as the next CEO But in a move that surprised industry watchers, Bill Ford named Boeing executive Alan Mulally, 61, as CEO, ending his own troubled five-year stint as operational head of the company founded by his great-grandfather.

Ford said Fields would retain responsibility for spearheading the No 2 US automaker’s turnaround at home, which is its largest and most difficult market. Fields, widely credited for turning around Mazda, in which Ford owns a huge stake.