After just two years at the helm of the NZ operation, Annaliese Atina is off.

FORD New Zealand managing director Annaliese Atina will leave to run Ford Vietnam from December 1, with no successor yet named.

Atina relocates to Hanoi and will report to Andrew Birkic, vice president of sales and service for Ford’s International Markets Group, and president of Ford Australia and New Zealand.

When acting in the latter role he appointed Altina in May of 2024, in what remains a break from Ford habit of filling the role from its global ranks, as she lacked an automotive background, having come from One NZ and Coca-Cola Amatil.

At that time she replaced Simon Rutherford, who now oversees Auto Distribution Holdings, which focuses on China-made or associated product, and is owned Christchurch car magnate Rick Armstrong, who has just bought two major Ford dealerships in the Auckland region.

Ford says arrangements for the leadership of Ford New Zealand will be announced in due course.

Altina departs when Ford NZ is coping with a major recall for the latest Ranger, the sale of those dealerships, a wrangle with NZTA over acceptance of the Ranger Super Duty for NZ and other challenges.

Birkic credits Altina with strengthening the NZ business on both the customer and dealer sides.

“Her commercial leadership and genuine focus on customers and dealers have strengthened our business here, and that same energy and capability will now benefit Ford Vietnam as it builds on its recent momentum,” Birkic says.

Ford NZ is the country’s longest-established distribution networks, dating back to 1936, when it took over successful representation of Ford's New Zealand business by The Colonial Motor Company (CMC). The transfer also saw the start of local assembly here, which lasted up to 1997, with all Ford product being imported since then.d.