APRIL 19, 2002

Who is Mark Fields?

Wolfgang Reitzle's replacement as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group is 41-year-old American Mark Fields, who has been working at Mazda in Japan since 1998 and became its president in December 1999 when Jac Nasser took over at the top of the Ford Motor Company.

WOLFGANG REITZLE's replacement as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group is 41-year-old American Mark Fields, who has been working at Mazda in Japan since 1998 and became its president in December 1999 when Jac Nasser took over at the top of the Ford Motor Company. But despite his youth, Fields has done a good job at Mazda, which failed to make any profits for most of the 1990s when it was under different management. Ford began to take control in 1996 and the last couple of years have seen Mazda booming at a time when other Japanese car manufacturers are having a more difficult time.

Fields is expected to be replaced at Mazda by Lewis Booth who until recently was in charge of Ford's activities in the Asia Pacific and African regions.

Ford has confirmed that PAG has given up control of the Lincoln and Mercury brands and will now concentrate on Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover.

Mazda has not had much involvement in motor racing in recent years but in 1991 became the first Japanese company to win the Le Mans 24 Hours.