(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 — The Chinese arm of Ford’s luxury brand Lincoln has promoted its former executive vice president to become its new president after a successful four-year term with his predecessor.
Zhu Meijun will take over from Lincoln China after Mao Jingbo resigned for personal reasons, Ford Motor China said in a statement yesterday. Zhu will report to Chen Anning, president and CEO of Ford China, and Joy Falotico, president of Lincoln.
Prior to joining the Ford family brand, Zhu was Vice President of Marketing and Director of Sales at Changan Ford Automobile, a joint venture between Ford and Changan Automobile. She used to serve the business arm of Japanese automaker Mazda Motor in Taiwan Province as a general manager and general manager. Additionally, she worked for Ford Motor Asia Pacific and Ford Lio Ho Motor.
Mao, who recently resigned, joined Lincoln China in 2018. During Mao’s tenure, Lincoln began manufacturing localized products in the Asian country, expanding its product categories while increasing sales, and the leader grew committed to driving digital transformation and brand rejuvenation.
Lincoln improved his performance during Mao’s tenure. In 2021, the Ford brand sold 90,000 vehicles in China, a nearly 50% jump from the previous year, while luxury rivals such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz saw declines. In 2018, it sold 55,315 vehicles in the country, well below the figures reported by second-tier luxury brands such as Cadillac, Lexus and Volvo.
Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi