Chief design officer emails team that he's leaving Ford
Chief Design Officer Anthony Lo, hired at Ford Motor Co. in 2021, told his team that he's leaving effective May 14.
Ford spokesman T.R. Reid confirmed the news, saying Lo notified his team via email on Wednesday that he has chosen to explore new opportunities. The company did not put out a news release announcing the departure.
"A search for a replacement is underway," Reid said Thursday. "In the meantime, a series of interim assignments will assure that work continues uninterrupted."
Lo, who reports to Doug Field, chief EV, digital and design officer at Ford who came from Apple in 2021, has been "responsible for creating a lineup of products and services that are unique, authentic and true to Ford’s values as customers expect smarter, increasingly connected and increasingly electric vehicles," according to his company biography online.
Born in Hong Kong, Lo began working in the auto industry in 1987 when a professor at Royal College of Art in London, where he earned a master's degree in automotive design, offered him a position at Lotus Cars in England, Ford said when Lo was hired. Lo went on to design the Lotus Carlton, the world’s fastest car of its type at the time, Ford said.
Lo said his familiarity with Ford began as a young adult on the streets of Hong Kong, where the Ford brand maintains a strong presence, Ford said in its release.
Before Ford, Lo worked as vice president of exterior design at Groupe Renault, where he spent 11 years. He previously worked as a design director at General Motors Europe. Lo led the development of Renault’s “Cycle of Life” design strategy that showcased a series of award-winning concept cars with it such as the Dezir, Captur, R-Space and Frendzy, according to his company biography.
Ford wasn't Lo's only experience at the Detroit Three. He had been director of advanced design for General Motors Europe, overseeing Saab, Opel and Vauxhall projects from 2004 to 2010. Before that, he was with Mercedes-Benz in Japan, where he worked on the company’s Maybach concept and S-Class vehicles, his biography said.
As of Thursday, Lo hadn't changed or updated his LinkedIn professional profile to announce the news or provide a clue about his next professional steps.
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chief design officer emails team he's leaving Ford
