Raj Nair, president of Ford North America, has been ousted from his position following a company investigation into “reports of inappropriate behaviour”.
Nair, who has been president of Ford North America since 1 June 2017, has been with the organisation since 1987, in the past holding several key roles such as head of global product development and chief technical officer.
The internal investigation found that the 53-year-old had exhibited “certain behaviour… inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct” and he has been removed from his post with immediate effect.
Steve Cropley meets Ford's Raj Nair - interview from 2013
Ford president and chief executive Jim Hackett said: “We made this decision after a thorough review and careful consideration. Ford is deeply committed to providing and nurturing a safe and respectful culture and we expect our leaders to fully uphold these values.”
Nair said: “I sincerely regret that there have been instances where I have not exhibited leadership behaviours consistent with the principles that the Company and I have always espoused. I continue to have the utmost faith in the people of Ford Motor Company and wish them continued success in the future.”
Nair started out as a body and assembly operations launch engineer and held various positions on more than 11 vehicle programs in 13 assembly plants. During the 1990s he was heavily involved in the launch of the 1996 Ford Fiesta, and then became responsible for all Ford of Europe launches including the Focus, Transit and Ford Mondeo.
More recently, Nair was instrumental in the development of the current Ford GT and the manufacturer's return to endurance racing competition. Earlier this month Nair was presented with his own 2018 GT road car.
Ford said it will make an announcement concerning Nair’s replacement in the near future.
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It's sad, without him the
That's why?
That's why it's sad.