Elena Ford to Head Ford Customer Experience Work

Elena Ford, the great-great-granddaughter of Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford, has been named the carmaker’s Chief Customer Experience Officer, effective Nov. 1.

The company also promoted John Savona, previously head of global manufacturing quality, to vice president of North American manufacturing. Savona, 50, will report to Gary Johnson, group vice president of manufacturing and labor affairs.

Elena Ford’s assignment comes as the company is merging its customer experience initiatives under worldwide operations. Ford, 52, will report to Joe Hinrichs, president of Global Operations. Her mission will be to find and resolve friction points between customers and the company through the entire ownership period, from sales and service to websites and customer call centers.

Elena previously was vice president of customer experience and global dealer, where she oversaw the launch of owners’ apps for Ford and Lincoln vehicles. She joined the carmaker in 1995 and has held several marketing, business management and brand strategy positions with the company’s finance and product divisions, including head of global marketing, sales and service in 2009-2013.