Sarah-Jayne Williams to lead Ford’s European Smart Mobility team

She will report to Ford of Europe president CEO Steven Armstrong, and to John Larsen, Ford’s vice president, global operations, Smart Mobility.

She will focus on future mobility solutions for Europe, and will work out of the new Ford Smart Mobility innovation office in London.

Armstrong said: “Her role is to tackle urban transportation challenges and opportunities, and respond to the growth of the sharing economy by defining and implementing Ford of Europe’s Smart Mobility strategy.

“She will focus on accelerating the launch of mobility services across Europe through collaboration, especially with cities, innovation and growing the existing team.”

Williams will support Ford’s global City Solutions team by working closely with European city planners, public transport agencies and communities to create solutions for urban environments.

Recent European initiatives have included the announcement of a trial later this year of a fleet of plug in hybrid electric (PHEV) Transit delivery vans working with Transport for London and other fleet partners prior to the vehicle going into production in 2019, and in future may include shared services such as ride sharing.

Williams said: “The auto industry is on the cusp of a revolution as great as that when Henry Ford first made the car accessible to the masses over 100 years ago. I’m looking forward to joining the Ford team and to being part of its adventure into the world of smart mobility.”

She joins from BearingPoint, a global business consulting firm, where she was a partner in the automotive team and led the company-wide connected car centre of excellence.

She has worked with OEMs and automotive leasing providers to design and deliver new business models, digital strategies and connected car services.

Williams has also been an active leader in diversity programs and established the BearingPoint Foundation, which manages BearingPoint’s corporate social responsibility activities.

She is a past winner of the Management Consulting Association award for marketing consultant of the year, and a joint team winner with Jaguar Land Rover for the 2015 Management Consulting Association digital and technology project of the year for connected car.