Former Ford exec Thursfield faces jail in divorce case
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Former Ford of Europe Chairman David Thursfield rose to the top of the management ranks with an abrasive manner and take-no-prisoners approach to cutting costs.
Later in Detroit, the British exec spearheaded the efforts of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management to acquire auto supply firms.
Now Thursfield, 67, has been sentenced to two years in jail for hiding part of his multimillion dollar fortune from his former wife in a bruising divorce battle, according to a report in the Daily Mail, an English newspaper.
This month, a judge in England sentenced him for failing to disclose his wealth in a case brought against him by his ex-wife Linda Thursfield, 61, who blamed the breakup of their marriage on Thursfield's interest in Rachel Measures, 40, whom he subsequently married.
Linda Thursfield, a former dental surgeon who lives in suburban Detroit and was married to Thursfield for 27 years, hired private detectives and a forensic accountant to trace her ex-husband's wealth.
Speaking to the newspaper, she said: "I'd moved all over the world with David and I'd given up my profession for him. It was like I'd passed my expiration date and he was trading me for a younger model."
