Ford's Dean Stoneley takes US position

"It is with great sadness that we say farewell to Dean. While we will certainly feel the loss, he has a fantastic opportunity based at Ford Motor Company's head office in America and we wish him every success in his new role," said Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company of southern Africa.

Stoneley joined FMCSA in 2010.During his tenure Ford reached its highest share in seven years and successfully launched the locally built Ford Ranger, which has set and broken sales records every month. Figo, Focus ST, Kuga and Transit, as well as Mazda's BT-50 and CX-5, are among the other introductions successfully introduced under Stoneley's watch.

Canadian start

Stoneley began his career at Ford in a series of sales positions within Ford of Canada's Central, Pacific and Great Lakes regions before relocating to Dearborn as a marketing brand manager for Ford and Lincoln.

During his four years in Dearborn, Stoneley was responsible for numerous product launches, including the Ford GT, Mustang, and Focus. He also led the Ford Fusion launch in Canada and received an award in 2006 from Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, in recognition of his success. Mulally also awarded Stoneley and his team with the 2007 global marketing award for "Fueling Growth in Canada".

Prior to his current position, Stoneley was VP marketing at Ford of Canada where he launched a successful primary brand platform that drove substantial improvements in Ford brand perception.

Stoneley's passion for marketing extended to holding a seat on the board of directors for the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), the largest marketing association in Canada.

Stoneley's successor will be announced at a later date.