Highlights of Jim Farley’s automotive career, which started in 1990 when Toyota hired him in its strategic planning department
1999: Played key role in introduction of Toyota Tundra pickup
2002: Named vice president of Scion, overseeing the launch of the youth-oriented brand
2005: Appointed vice president of Toyota marketing
2007:
April: Named group vice president and general manager of Lexus
November: Joined Ford Motor Co. as group vice president of marketing and communications
2008: Delivered emotional speech at a Las Vegas dealers meeting, saying the work he was doing at Ford was “more important” than what he did at Toyota
2010: Named executive vice president of global marketing, sales & service
2012: Named head of Lincoln, in addition to his marketing, sales and service role
2014: Oversaw Lincoln’s expansion into China and the launch of the MKC crossover
2015: Named president of Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa
2016: Steered Ford’s European business to record profitability with increased focus on commercial vehicles, utilities and performance models
2017: Returned to the U.S. as president of global markets
2018: Addressed dealers amid restructuring plan; previewed new “Built Ford Proud” advertising campaign
2019:
March: Joined Twitter with post about his classic 1973 Bronco
May: Named head of new businesses, technology and strategy; played key roles in partnership deals with Volkswagen and Mahindra
November: Introduced Mustang Mach-E with CEO Jim Hackett. Farley in 2017 halted work on the compliance car under development and encouraged the team to develop a bolder EV, telling them to “think Mustang.”
2020:
February: Named COO
March: Visited Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in early days of the pandemic, helping cement Ford’s decision to shut down manufacturing operations
October: Succeeds Hackett as Ford’s 13th CEO