Toby Hagon, drive.com.au, September 24, 2008
Geelong-born Marin Burela has been appointed president and CEO of Ford Australia during one of the company's most challenging times, reports TOBY HAGON.
An Australian will run one of Australia's three remaining car makers for the first time since 2004 following the appointment of Marin Burela as president and CEO of Ford Australia.
Burela, who started his career at Ford Australia in 1984 before taking up various overseas executive postings from 1998, will become the third Ford Australia boss in less than a year following the shock resignation of Bill Osborne last month.
He is the first Australian boss for Ford since the late Geoff Polites left in 2004 to pursue a career at Ford of Europe and, later, become the global boss of Jaguar and Land Rover.
Burela is acutely aware of the challenges facing Ford locally. He recently described Ford Australia as the "Falcon motor company" when acknowledging the challenges of shifting its large-car dependence to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles in an era of increased environmental awareness and high petrol prices.
Burela's enthusiasm and experience across manufacturing, sales, marketing and product development is seen as a strong fit for Ford Australia, where he started his career.
His expertise in small cars - he was most recently the vehicle line director for global small vehicles - is seen as crucial as car makers battle the largest ever shift in buyer tastes in the wake of volatile fuel prices and increased environmental concerns.
"Burela's strong leadership and broad experience within Ford Motor Company will be vital to driving the successful future of Ford Australia's operations," says Ford executive vice president John Parker. "As a Geelong native, his return to Ford Australia allows him to lead not only one of Ford's more strategic global markets, but one for which he has such a strong affinity."
Burela takes up the top posting at Ford's Broadmeadows headquarters on October 1 as the company prepares to build a Focus hatchback in Australia from 2011 while trying to arrest flagging sales of its locally made Falcon and Territory in the wake of a shift away from large cars.
At the recent global launch of the Fiesta small car Burela talked of the need for car makers to better predict markets and respond more quickly to changing demand.
"You have to be in tune with where the market is going before it gets there," said Burela. "In Australia … they realised they couldn’t continue to be the Falcon car company. They predicted the market before it got there [by producing the Territory wagon]."
He also spoke of the need for car makers to be prepared to "reinvent" themselves, comments that could refer to Ford's increased focus on small cars and the possibility the company could explore other opportunities.
"You have to keep reinventing yourself," he said. "You give them a reason to buy into the brand and you never give them a reason to leave the brand."
Burela most recently led the development of Ford's light car range, led by the new Fiesta hatch. He has also worked for the previously Ford-owned Land Rover brand as director of manufacturing.
Burela's appointment will see him return to Australia where he first started his career at Ford in 1984.
Ford and Cats drive on with partnership
Geelong Advertiser - Bradley Green, September 24th, 2008
TWO of Geelong's powerful identities have reaffirmed their vows to each other.
The Geelong Football Club yesterday announced it's long-standing partnership with major sponsor Ford had been extended for another five years.
While the club would not reveal the amount of the new deal, Cats CEO Brian Cook said "it's up there" with other large sponsorships in the AFL.
"It's the longest sponsorship that we've ever had, arguably the largest but we won't go into dollars," Cook said.
The new deal means the relationship between the club and the motor company will stretch to an amazing 88 years. Cook said they would be applying to the Guinness Book of Records to acknowledge it as the longest running world sports sponsorship.
"In 1925, the Ford Motor Company of Australia settled in Geelong and was the first overseas car maker to settle full-scale operations in Australia," Cook said.
"Ironically we won our first premiership in 1925, so there is some relationship there."
Cook said that 13 Geelong premiership players had worked on the assembly line over the past nine decades.
When coach Mark Thompson was asked about what would happen if the Cats lost to Hawthorn on Saturday, he quipped: "I might send a few (players) out there (to Ford) if they don't play the way we want them to play."
TWO of Geelong's powerful identities have reaffirmed their vows to each other.
The Geelong Football Club yesterday announced it's long-standing partnership with major sponsor Ford had been extended for another five years.
While the club would not reveal the amount of the new deal, Cats CEO Brian Cook said "it's up there" with other large sponsorships in the AFL.
"It's the longest sponsorship that we've ever had, arguably the largest but we won't go into dollars," Cook said.
The new deal means the relationship between the club and the motor company will stretch to an amazing 88 years. Cook said they would be applying to the Guinness Book of Records to acknowledge it as the longest running world sports sponsorship.
"In 1925, the Ford Motor Company of Australia settled in Geelong and was the first overseas car maker to settle full-scale operations in Australia," Cook said.
"Ironically we won our first premiership in 1925, so there is some relationship there."
Cook said that 13 Geelong premiership players had worked on the assembly line over the past nine decades.
When coach Mark Thompson was asked about what would happen if the Cats lost to Hawthorn on Saturday, he quipped: "I might send a few (players) out there (to Ford) if they don't play the way we want them to play."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
