STEVEN ARMSTRONG

Group vice- president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company

STEVEN Armstrong is just over a year into his group vice-president role at Ford, a position he landed in 2017 in a promotion from COO of Ford of Europe. He’s still president of the car giant in that region – which faces many challenges, including the switch to SUVS and the decline of diesel sales – but also has responsibility for the Middle East and Africa. Ford is moving fast to refresh its product line, but Armstrong will be aware of the balancing act of adapting global ‘One Ford’ vehicles to European customers. And that decline in diesel? The firm thinks it has solid options for those still committed to the fuel, but that its Ecoboost downsized petrol engines make it well positioned to offer alternatives. Electrification will help, so Armstrong will be keen for Ford’s multi-billion-dollar investment in hybrids and EVS to start delivering new models soon.