Alexandra Ford English, 32 years old and the daughter of Bill Ford, has joined the Board of Directors at Rivian. Bill Ford, of course, is the Chairman of the Board at Ford. Alexandra replaces Joe Hinrichs, a former high-level executive with 20 years at the automaker. Alexandra has been with Ford since 2016. Her previous work experience appears to "responsible for managing profit and loss operations for the merchandising divisions" at GAP and Tory Burch. At Ford, she began as an MDA intern (she got her MBA from Harvard) in Global Strategy and Mobility. She then was at Ford Smart Mobility for less than a year before moving to become Director at Autonomous Vehicles. In February, she became Director of Corporate Strategy. This is all especially interesting in light of the fact that Ford just canceled the Rivian-based vehicle for Lincoln. (Ford still has plans for a vehicle on the Rivian platform) Personally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of nepotism. On the other hand, I still like the idea of the Ford family being invested in the success of the company. Maybe she has the chops to be a positive force on the Rivian board, but I think it's likely that no one will ever know one way or the other. Boards are pretty opaque in general. I do like the idea of having a female presence and she does appear to have the backing of RJ Scaringe. Here's his statement on the move: "Alexandra and I share a deep passion for mobility and electrification, and her connection to Ford’s long family role in transportation is something special. I am looking forward to working closely with her and the perspective that she will bring to the board." Source: Detroit Free Press, Reuters, LinkedIn Image: Ford
Welcome aboard, Alexandra! Having Ford onboard with Rivian's development and a Ford on the Board at Rivian are huge plusses in my book. Having the Grandaddy of all American automakers make a big investment in Rivian's vision of the future of automotion is a huge vote of confidence. While having the likes of Amazon, T. Rowe Price, Cox Automotive, BlackRock, et.al. invest in any company is a really good indication that some very smart people think highly of your vision, getting a legendary legacy car and truck company to do the same is very special. I've served on a Board for over 20 years, and having new members join in, with different backgrounds and experience, only helps. No one Board member has the power to drive an entire Board, and having someone with the brains, experience and genes from the Ford family joining Rivian's Board makes feel even more comfortable with my decision to sign up early for the upcoming R1T Launch Edition. I'm looking forward to the day Rivian goes public. I'd love to be able to hitch a part of my financial wagon to this visionary company.
She was hired because of her MBA From Harvard, not because great grandfather was Henry Ford. I think she will be a great person to run the company!
Fred, I hope your recent praise for Alexandra Ford English echos mine from back in December of last year. My "Grandaddy of all American automakers" reference had only to do with the Ford Corporation being preeminent in pioneering the auto industry and being a leader thereof from day one. That Ford was impressed enough to participate in funding a fledgling EV company speaks volumes about their belief that Rivian has the people, vision, and capability to become a long-term success, along with the ability to help lead the industry forward as we transition to electrification. After reading more about Ford English over these intervening months, I'm even more convinced that she was a great addition to Rivian’s Board.
A few months ago, she was also elected to Ford's board, btw. https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2021/05/ford-motor-co-adds-two-family-members-to-board-of-director/
Thanks for letting me know. That's outstanding news for all parties concerned! Congratulations, Alexandra!
