Ford hires Whirlpool executive Liz Door as chief supply chain officer

Ford Motor Co. said it has hired Liz Door, a sourcing executive at appliance maker Whirlpool, to be the company's chief supply chain officer as it looks to reset supplier relations amid quality woes and cost concerns.

The move comes nine months after Ford warned Wall Street about surging parts costs and put its CFO in charge of supply chain efforts on an interim basis while it searched for someone to take on the newly created role.

Door's hiring is part of a minor executive team shakeup announced Tuesday by Ford. Two executives are retiring: Kiersten Robinson, general manager of family vehicles and president of Mexico and Canada for Ford Blue, on July 1; and Jonathan Jennings, vice president of supply chain, as of Aug. 1.

Additionally, Dave Bozeman, head of Ford Blue's enthusiast vehicles and the Ford Customer Service Division, is leaving the company to become CEO of global transportation and logistics company C.H. Robinson next week. And Tim Slatter, formerly vehicle line director for buses and vans in Ford of Europe, became head of vehicle programs last week.

Door's appointment takes effect June 12. She will report to CFO John Lawler, who has been handling the supply chain officer duties since September.

"Liz brings deep, relevant domain experience — including leveraging the Internet of Things to create great value for customers — from both outside and inside the global auto industry," Lawler said in a statement. "That's an ideal combination for leading a team that's determined to restore supply chain management as a competitive advantage for Ford."

The news follows a Plante Moran study last month showing that Ford's supplier relations score dropped the most among automakers. The decline partly was attributed to confusion over Ford's electrification strategy, Plante Moran officials said.

Ford also has led the industry in recalls each of the past two years and struggled with quality issues on some of its most popular nameplates, including the Bronco and F-150 Lightning.

Executives in recent months have said Ford has a roughly $8 billion cost disadvantage against its rivals and is looking to weed out inefficiencies in how it sources, designs and builds vehicles. Lawler has said Ford faces $5 billion in higher costs this year and will be "very aggressive" in reducing expenses in its manufacturing, supply chain and distribution operations.

Door has served as Whirlpool's executive vice president of global strategic sourcing since 2017. Before that, she led North America procurement at Whirpool for more than six years. Door started her career as a resident quality engineer with Prince Corp., working at a Chrysler assembly plant in St. Louis.

"Ford and our suppliers will win together by delivering fresh, high-quality products for our customers," Door said in Ford's statement. "We're going to expand the use of advanced quality planning throughout the supply portfolio."

Kiersten Robinson has worked at Ford for 28 years. She previously was chief human resources officer and had stints in labor relations and in human resources overseas.

She played a key role in Ford's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped bolster Ford's benefits plan, expanding parental leave for both mothers and fathers.

She was assigned to Ford Blue, the company's internal combustion unit, when the automaker split that portion of the business apart from the Model e electric vehicle unit last year.

"Kiersten uses her expertise in people and systems to find solutions that are good for the business, our customers and our teams," Kumar Galhotra, the president of Ford Blue, said in a statement. "She's a great listener who brings global perspective and empathy to large-scale change."

The automaker said Robinson's responsibilities will shift to Andrew Frick, Ford Blue's vice president of sales, distribution and trucks.

Jonathan Jennings has spent 30 years with Ford in global roles. He was instrumental as Ford attempted to navigate the semiconductor shortage and supply chain issues of the past few years.

"Our industry and others have been pummeled by issues caused by the pandemic, natural disasters and extraordinary demand for new technology," Lawler said. "Jonathan's firsthand relationships with vendors have helped us navigate often severe limits on volumes of semiconductors, batteries and even basic parts in order to best meet the needs of customers."

Tim Slatter, who joined Ford 25 years ago, will report to Jim Baumbick, Ford Blue's vice president of product development operations and quality. His new role includes managing all Ford Blue global vehicle programs, including derivatives and Ford Performance products. He'll also be involved in strategy and cycle planning for Ford Blue, Ford Performance and Ford Motor Sports, the company said.

Dave Bozeman has been with Ford since September, when he was hired from Amazon.

"I'm grateful to Ford and my colleagues for their generosity and teamwork this past year and could not be more confident about the company's plan and prospects for success," Bozeman said in the Ford statement. "My experiences here will be invaluable as I help another great global company with its next phase of growth."

Ford did not specify whether Bozeman's and Jennings' roles would be filled.