CHOSEN BECAUSE: 

Dean Stoneley returned to Canada this year to lead Ford Motor Co.’s Canadian operations under CEO Jim Hackett’s restructuring plan, which involves the eventual end of most of Ford’s cars and cutting up to 10 per cent of the salaried workforce. Ford will complete its white-collar cuts — about 7,000 jobs — by September. It was unclear how many jobs in Canada are affected, but it will be up to Stoneley to navigate the aftermath in Canada. 

Ford would not provide Stoneley’s age, but he began his career with Ford of Canada in 1992 and previously was director of marketing for Changan, the automaker’s national dealer sales distribution joint venture in China. He also oversaw the launch of an eight-storey vehicle vending machine in Guangzhou, a joint project between Changan and Alibaba Group.

Stoneley, who was born in Burlington, Ont., attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., and holds an honours degree in political science. 

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

“As a Canadian who started my career at Ford of Canada, I’m excited to come home to lead this successful team. Together with our strong network of dealers, we’ll continue to focus on what the Canadian consumer values, which are great products and industry-leading customer experiences.”