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Ford CEO Hackett to retire, COO Jim Farley to lead automaker

Ford Motor Company emblem
Wikimedia Commons

Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley will lead the storied automaker into the future starting Oct. 1 when current CEO Jim Hackett retires. The company has struggled in recent years and is in the midst of an $11 billion restructuring plan designed to make it leaner and crank out new vehicles to replace what was an aging model lineup. As COO, the 58-year-old Farley led the company's global markets and product development. He was in charge as Ford rolled out a revamped F-150 pickup, the new Bronco off-road SUV brand and the electric Mustang Mach-E SUV. Farley was was hired away from Toyota by then-CEO Alan Mulally in November of 2007 to run Ford's marketing operations