Burela accepts Chinese posting

Ford Australia's president is set to depart; his role to be assumed by incoming executive Robert (Bob) Graziano
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Marin Burela has held the position of Ford Australia president for just on two years, but he's already on the move again. Ford announced today that Burela will head up the Changan Ford Mazda joint venture in China effective from November 1.

Although he was upbeat about the posting, for Burela it's a bitter-sweet event, with his daughter only just joining the family in Australia from the UK and, as he jokingly put it during a teleconference hook-up this afternoon: "The biggest regret will be that I won't be able to watch the [Geelong] cats win the next grand final, probably."

China shows enormous growth potential -- a market as potentially large as 35 million cars by 2018, says Burela -- so the change of job appears to be a sign of the regard in which he is held by senior management at Ford. In the shorter term, Burela's experience with the company in Australia may result in synergies with Ford in China. With a local media outlet (Fairfax) reporting that Ford Australia is developing a small car for the Chinese market, the transfer of Burela to China seems timely, but when asked he studiously steered clear of any suggestion that his appointment was informed by that.

"The decision to ask me to move to China was taken at the very senior level of the company -- with Alan [Mulally, global CEO] and Joe [Hinrichs, Asia/Pacific and Africa president] and Lewis Booth [global CFO] and that group -- and it was based on the fact that we think as a company that we've made incredible progress in Australia. We've brought Australia back to a very solid business foundation."

"They were very keen to ask me to move to the Chinese operation on the basis that my global experience in not only small cars, large cars and everything else that I've done... in engineering, manufacturing, product development [and] sales and marketing, has suitably positioned me to lead that very large joint venture."

Burela's move is part of a broader reshuffle, following the retirement of the incumbent president of Changan Ford Mazda, Jeff Shen. Burela takes his place and Robert Graziano, currently president of Ford China moves to Australia. The remit for Joe Hinrichs expands, with Hinrichs taking on the role of CEO for Ford China in addition to his existing responsibilities as Ford president throughout the Asia/Pacific and Africa region.

Graziano, an American, will be a good fit in his new role as Ford Oz president, says Burela.

"Bob's experience, in terms of continuing to grow mature markets and grow the business in a very accelerated way -- particularly with the amount of activity that will be taking place in Australia in the next two years -- he's going to be suitably placed to do that as well."

Burela later explained that Graziano, a "personal friend", has a depth of experience that will stand him in good stead in the local market.

"Bob has got significant business experience right around the world; he worked in South Africa, he worked at Mazda. He's worked in the United States and he's worked in China.

"His background has been very solid in terms of product planning; he has significant sales & marketing experience; he and I worked together when we were putting the Fiesta into Nanjing in China -- and so he has a very great and solid appreciation and understanding of engineering and all the other areas.

"He's just a great guy."

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