Photo: Ford
Luz Elena del Castillo joins an exclusive but growing club of female CEOs of major automakers in North America. Del Castillo becomes the new president and CEO of Ford of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America, and the Caribbean later this year.
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She replaces outgoing CEO and president Hector Perez, who is retiring after spending nearly 30 years with Ford. Del Castillo’s appointment takes effect on Oct. 1.
Luz Elena del Castillo is currently Ford’s general manager over Puerto Rico, Central America, and the Caribbean. She’s served in this role since 2017. She’s a 25-year veteran of the auto industry, having spent 12 of those years with Ford. Previous roles at Ford include general manager for Ford Colombia, which she took on in 2008.
Prior to joining Ford, del Castillo worked for Sociedad de Fabricacion de Automotores, a Colombia-based joint venture between Toyota and Renault. A native of Colombia, del Castillo received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Luz Elena del Castillo third female president for Ford of Mexico
Ford of Mexico notes that del Castillo is the third woman to serve as the president of Ford of Mexico. She’s the first woman in the CEO role since Louise Goeser left in 2008.
“Ford of Mexico is distinguished by its great vehicles and I am excited to develop new ways to serve our customers in the region,” said del Castillo.
Perez is credit with leading Ford of Mexico through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and overseeing the launch of production on key products including the Mustang Mach-E, Bronco Sport, and upcoming 2022 Maverick.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.