Media Contact: Brandon Lausch, 215-204-4115, blausch@temple.edu

Fox School of Business MBA Alumni David Schoch

David Schoch, MBA ’78, joined Ford Motor Co. as a financial analyst immediately after graduation. Nearly 34 years later, after serving in a variety of executive positions across the world, Schoch is preparing for his fifth overseas assignment – and perhaps his biggest yet.

On Nov. 1, Schoch will assume the role of chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China. Ford is a major and growing investor in China. Ford has invested more than $3 billion in China and employs more than 20,000 people in its wholly owned entities and joint ventures across the country.

As a part of its aggressive growth plans, Ford currently is building four new manufacturing facilities in China and, together with company partners, continues to evaluate opportunities to further expand its manufacturing presence with the goal to accelerate growth in the world’s largest automotive market.

“It’s a continuous journey. The automotive environment is extremely competitive, and you’re learning every day how to react faster, how to better understand the market and how to anticipate,” said Schoch, 60, who will be directly responsible for the operations and business leadership in China. “This is really an opportunity to flex our growth muscles in a land that will be important for Ford in the future.”

Schoch was named to the position and elected a company officer on Sept. 22. In the 39 days he had to transition out of his role as controller of The Americas and into his new one, he’s connected with this team in China early in the morning or late at night from Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. In late October, Schoch welcomed a delegation of top China dealers to the U.S. as he reacquainted himself with the Chinese business and government environments, as well as Ford’s joint-ventures partners. Schoch will relocate to Shanghai this month.

Schoch’s career has included leadership positions ranging from executive director of Ford Canada, Mexico and South America Operations to chief financial officer and vice president of strategic planning for Ford of Europe. He has also served as chief financial officer of Ford Asia Pacific Operations. In his new role, he will report to Joe Hinrichs, group vice president and president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa.

“As Ford China enters into a phase of accelerated growth, Dave, with his unique combination of skills and experience, is well suited to lead Ford China and take our expansion plans to the next level, including bringing four new plants on line and launching 15 new vehicles by 2015,” Hinrichs said in a statement. “Dave’s appointment greatly strengthens our leadership team in China and demonstrates Ford’s continued strong commitment to China, a key driver of Ford’s global growth in the next 10 years and beyond.”

Schoch, a native of Wayne, Pa., said the “very aggressive growth plan” in China includes the establishment of additional manufacturing, assembly and component capacity, primarily engines and transmissions. With such growth opportunity in the immediate future, Schoch reflected on Ford’s immediate past, including the company’s decision not to seek federal bailout funds.

“We had enough confidence in our One Ford plan,” he said. “The way we’ve transformed this company coming out of the depths of the recession, putting the company back on its right path with a product-led transformation, has really been exhilarating for us during the past several years.”