DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. said Friday that Alexandra Ford English, daughter of Executive Chairman Bill Ford, will join Rivian’s board of directors, filling a vacancy left by the abrupt retirement this year of former President of Automotive Joe Hinrichs.
English, director of corporate strategy, will add the board role effective immediately, Ford said in a release.
“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,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a statement.
The move comes days after the two companies said they would cancel joint development of an electric vehicle for the Lincoln brand. Both sides said their partnership remained strong.
“Our strategic partnership with Rivian plays an important role in the future of fully networked battery electric vehicles,” Ford CEO Jim Hackett said in a statement. “With Alexandra’s experience in mobility and self-driving services, she will bring a unique perspective to Rivian’s board during this transformational time in our industry.”
Ford’s board seat came as part of a $500 million investment in Rivian announced last year. It had been held by Hinrichs, who retired from the company effective March 1, weeks after Ford reported disappointing earnings in part due to poor operational execution.
English joined her family’s company in 2017, working on the automaker’s autonomous vehicle and city solutions teams.
Prior to joining Ford, English worked at Tory Burch in New York and Gap Inc. in San Francisco, managing profit and loss operations for businesses in the companies’ merchandising divisions.
