Rajendra Rao Named Ford Smart Mobility LLC CEO
Today Ford announced Rajendra “Raj” Rao as the CEO of Ford Smart Mobility LLC, a subsidiary of the American automaker that is working to design and build new mobility services. As chief executive officer, Rao will report to Ford Smart Mobility LLC chairman Jim Hackett, and be based in Palo Alto, California.
“Ford Smart Mobility is a significant growth opportunity for Ford,” said Hackett. “Raj has deep experience in digital transformation, new business model cultivation and start-up partnerships. He is the right leader to lead the delivery of mobility services globally and bring to life our vision to change the way the world moves.”
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According to Ford, Rao will oversee the growth of Ford Smart Mobility LLC’s various businesses, which include City Solutions business, the Chariot shuttle business, and Greenfield Labs, Ford Smart Mobility LLC’s business model incubator.
A native of Bangalore, India, Rao has previous experience in growing the businesses of iGATE Capital, Brunswick Corporation, and, most recently, 3M, where he led the company’s Silicon Valley digital hub and Internet-of-Things projects.
Rao also made a positive impact in his previous position as part of the Brunswick Corporation leadership team, where he improved sales by nearly 35% and co-created Redberri, an open source XML-based middleware system that connects systems not originally designed to talk to each other.
“I am energized by the opportunity to develop and grow Ford’s new mobility businesses, leveraging the company’s inherent strengths,” said Rao. “I have spent the better part of my career unleashing the power that exists globally with ecommerce, connected devices and digitization. The opportunity now to apply that experience and passion for innovation to helping Ford change the way the world moves is the perfect culmination.”
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