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Elena Ford is chief customer experience officer, Ford Motor Company. In this role, she leads the organization responsible for creating a world-class customer experience throughout the entire ownership cycle. She reports to Kumar Galhotra, Ford president, Americas and International Markets Group.

She is also responsible for integrating the work of Ford Customer Service Division, the Quality organization, Sales and Marketing and the global dealer network to more tightly connect the interactions between Ford and its customers worldwide.

“We know that an exceptional experience is what today’s customers want and expect and we are focused on understanding those expectations so deeply and so continuously that our customers feel that we care at each and every touch point, regardless of where they meet us,” she says.

Since joining the company in 1995, Ms. Ford served in a number of marketing, brand strategy and business management roles. Among her notable achievements is the development and launch of Ford’s global brand promise: Go Further. She also spearheaded the global rollout of Ford Signature dealership design and has strengthened the company’s dealer relationships in every region it operates, including North America, South and Central America, Asia Pacific and Europe, through initiatives like establishing the Dealer Advisory Group which she continues to lead.

Previously, Ms. Ford was vice president, Customer Experience and Global Dealer from March 2013 – October 2018. In that role, she was responsible for developing global standards and sharing best practices for planning, training, vehicle delivery and customer interaction with dealers and within the company. She also led the development and launch of the company’s innovative FordPass and The Lincoln Way apps.

Prior to that, Ms. Ford was director, Global Marketing, Sales and Service from February 2009 through February 2013, responsible for implementing the company’s One Ford marketing vision globally.

She was appointed executive vice president, Global Brand and Marketing, Ford Credit in August 2007, leading marketing, product management and sales support activities for Ford’s financial services arm around the world.

For Ford Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, she champions activities to increase literacy skills among young people from low-income families, including a collaboration with the nonprofit First Book which aims to increase access to new books and encourage STEAM education for children.

Ms. Ford currently serves on the boards of FordDirect, Percepta, the Forman School and Fair Lane: the Home of Clara and Henry Ford. She was twice named among the leading women in the auto industry by Automotive News, is active with the Henry Ford Hospital and is involved in a number of community and business organizations, including United Way and International Women’s Forum, Michigan.

She is the great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford and the granddaughter of Henry Ford II. She was born in New York in 1966, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business from New York University, and today resides in Michigan.