Ford Motor Company announced the appointment of PK Umashankar (‘Uma’) as managing director, Ford Philippines, effective July 1. Umashankar is currently serving as director, Customer Service Division, Ford ASEAN, based in Bangkok.

Umashankar will relocate to Manila, and will continue to report directly to Yukontorn ‘Vickie’ Wisadkosin, president, Ford ASEAN. He will replace Bert Lessard, who will repatriate to his home country of Canada.

In his new role, Umashankar will be responsible for continuing to drive Ford’s momentum in the Philippines, including sustaining the success of Ford’s nearly fully refreshed vehicle lineup in the market, continuing the ongoing expansion of the Ford dealership network, and further enhancing the aftersales experience including driving a more competitive cost of ownership structure for Ford customers.

“Uma’s leadership and real hands-on approach, coupled with his extensive experience across the business, will help us continue to grow our business and further strengthen our brand in the Philippines," said Wisadkosin.

In his current regional customer service role, Umashankar has been working with both the Ford dealer networks and Ford customer service teams across the ASEAN markets to implement a number of successful initiatives aimed at improving and enhancing the overall Ford customer experience.

This includes leading efforts to streamline parts sourcing and delivery across the Ford network, the appointments and launch of the Ford Authorized Parts Distributor Network in Thailand, as well as the launch of the Ford-owned Quick Lane brand in Thailand.

From 2015-2017, Umashankar served as brand manager, Ford Asia Pacific, based in Shanghai, where he oversaw the region-wide launch of the new EcoSport compact SUV, as well as the new Ford Figo compact car in India and the Middle East and Africa.

Prior to his regional postings, Umashankar served for nearly 19 years at Ford India in roles of increasing responsibility, including leadership positions across Customer Service, Marketing, and Operations.

This includes nearly four years as vice president, Customer Service Operations, where he led efforts to implement a new nationwide parts distribution center and set up a new modification center connected to Ford’s Chennai manufacturing facility.

Prior to this, Umashankar served for almost four years as general manager, Product Marketing, during which time he helped to launch the all-new Figo, Ford’s first vehicle designed and built for the India market.