When Andrew Frick was named to succeed longtime Ford Motor Co. sales executive Mark LaNeve last year, he inherited a business unit battered by the pandemic and an ongoing global microchip shortage.

While Ford's sales have suffered, its pivot to a build-to-order model has blunted the negative effects of supply chain shortages. October represented the seventh consecutive month in which about half of Ford's retail sales came from previously placed orders. Year-to-date, Ford says its retail share is up 1.2 percentage points even as overall sales are down 2.2 percent.

Frick's teams have worked to limit the impact of the chip shortage by prioritizing high-margin, high-volume vehicles such as F-Series pickups and Explorer crossovers. Although snags such as a recent shortage of Blue Oval badges have curtailed production at times, the automaker has been largely able to overcome prolonged periods of downtime at its assembly plants.

It also has been helped by sky-high demand for new products. Frick, 49, has overseen relatively smooth launches of the F-150 Lightning, E-Transit and Maverick.

At the same time, he's been navigating an overhaul of Ford's retail strategy as the company looks to implement a new series of EV certification requirements. While some state associations have pushed back, Frick has worked closely with dealers in crafting the plans. He participated in dozens of listening sessions that reached around 400 dealers and already has shown a willingness to compromise and make changes based on feedback.