Ford promotes marketing expert to head UK operations

Ford has appointed former UK sales boss Lisa Brankin as head of Ford of Britain and Ireland. She succeeds Andy Barratt, who will retire after 40 years with the company.

Brankin has served as acting managing director for the UK, Ford's largest European market, since Barratt look a leave of absence early October.

Brankin has worked for Ford since 1990, rising to the position of Ford of Britain marketing director in 2015. She was named sales director at Ford of Britain in January 2019 and seven months later was promoted to director of passenger vehicles at Ford of Britain and Ireland.

She officially starts as Ford's UK boss on Nov. 1 and will report to Ford of Europe sales chief Jon Williams, the automaker said in a statement.

"Lisa has shown great leadership over many years in her senior roles in the Ford of Britain team and is the right person to take the business forward in our largest market in Europe," Roelant de Waard, head of marketing, sales and service and general manager for passenger vehicles, said in the statement.

Brankin's former role as head of passenger vehicles will go to Anthony Ireson, currently the head of Ford's customer service division for Britain and Ireland.

Barratt said he is still in the job market. "I am retiring from Ford but not work -- and simply cannot wait to start the next challenge," he wrote on LinkedIn on Monday. He did not say whether he has a new job.

Ford is the top-selling brand in the UK. Its vehicle sales in the country fell 37 percent to 117,783 in the first nine months in a total market down 33 percent, according to data from industry association SMMT. The company had a 9.47 market share.