Elena Ford to Oversee Global Dealer Standards

Ford Motor Co. has promoted Elena Ford, great-great-granddaughter of company founder Henry Ford, to head its newly created Global Dealer and Consumer Experience unit.

The company also promoted Ray Day, vice president of communications, to group vice president, effective March. 1. His responsibilities will not change.

Elena Ford, who has directed global marketing operations since early 2009, also will become a company vice president, thus joining the ranks of Ford officers. The changes take effect on March 1. She will continue to report to global sales and marketing chief Jim Farley.

Elena Ford's new job involves setting global standards for planning, training and customer interaction. Her new unit also will manage the marketing, sales and service portion of Ford's worldwide order-to-delivery system.

That program aims to vehicle quality, shorten delivery times from factory to dealer and streamline the company's multiple IT systems into a speedy and efficient process for vehicle orders and delivery.

Elena Ford's previous jobs include head of global marketing for Ford Motor Credit Co., director of North American product marketing and strategy, truck brand communications coordinator.