Lourens reports to Ford Southern Africa communications director Dustin Chick, and will lead its product and lifestyle communications efforts in South Africa.
Lourens will work with media, influencers and creators to show Ford's vehicles as reliable partners in the resilient South African lifestyle.
"We're pleased to welcome Geoff to the team," says Chick.
"Ford's vehicles are central to how South Africans work, travel and spend their time, and the stories we tell about them should be as strong as the products themselves.”
Chicks adds, “Geoff understands this and how media, creators and customers engage with us as a brand and our vehicles. He will help us tell our stories well, from the vehicles customers already drive to those still to come."
Lourens brings more than 15 years of experience across the automotive and financial services sectors, spanning brand, marketing, strategy and communications.
Most recently he was brand manager at iCAUR South Africa, where he supported the brand's entry into the local market.
Earlier in his career, at Accenture Song and Spark44, he held senior communications and strategy roles on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and its house of brands (Jaguar, Defender, Range Rover and Discovery).
He worked across South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America.
His work spanned new model introductions and the ongoing communications that keep established nameplates relevant, and gave him a broad perspective on integrated communications, media engagement and brand storytelling.
Chick says Ford has been part of South Africa’s story for more than a century.
“That history matters because it represents a commitment to this country and its people, built over generations.
He believes people are drawn to brands that commit to them in return, that understand the market they operate in and build products that earn their place in people’s lives.
“For me, product communications is about so much more than just ‘product’, but deeply about connecting Ford’s proven heritage, its proven capability and innovation of its vehicles today and the role we will continue to play in South Africa’s future.”
