Fadi Mawal started with the Blue Oval as a forklift driver … and now he’s overseeing the brand regionally.

FROM shop floor to chief executive - that’s the Ford story for the brand’s new boss of New Zealand and Australia.

Effective from January 1, Fadi Mawal will become president and CEO of Ford in Australasia, replacing Andrew Birkic, who moves to a regional role with the brand.

Mawal joined the company in the early 1990s as a forklift driver in a Ford parts and service warehouse in Melbourne.

He then moved into a finance function where he spent 15 years gaining broad experience before joining Ford’s Asia Pacific Strategy team.

In 2016, he served as the chief financial officer for Ford Australia and New Zealand for four years, before becoming sales director from 2020 to 2022.

In May 2022, Mawal assumed his most recent role as CFO, Ford International Markets Group based in Bangkok, where he oversaw financial planning, reporting and governance across a diverse portfolio of markets that included Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Africa and the Middle East.

Birkic will become Vice President, Sales and Service, Ford International Markets Group. In this pivotal position, Birkic will drive Ford’s sales and service strategies across the region. He held his current position for five years.

Jeff Marentic, president of Ford International Markets Group, said of Mawal: “His breadth of experience in leadership roles across the business positions him exceptionally well for this new challenge.

“I also want to acknowledge Andrew in his new expanded role and look forward to collaborating with both of them to drive strong results for Australia and the region.”

Ford NZ has it own small management team, headed by managing director Annaliese Atina.