Lewis Booth (November 7, 1948) is executive vice president, for
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
responsible for Ford of Europe, Volvo Car Corporation and Ford Export Operations & Global Growth Initiatives. Mr. Booth is chairman of both Ford of Europe and Volvo Car Corporation. Mr. Booth also was formerly responsible for the
Premier Automotive GroupThe Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the business operations of Volvo Cars.Previously, PAG was responsible for Lincoln, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mercury and Land Rover; Lincoln and Mercury were taken back into Ford direct control, and Aston Martin was...
from October 2005.
Prior to his most recent appointment, Mr. Booth was chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe, from April 2004 to Sept 2005, and held the position of president and COO, Ford of Europe, from September 2003 to April 2004.
Lewis Booth (November 7, 1948) is executive vice president, for
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
responsible for Ford of Europe, Volvo Car Corporation and Ford Export Operations & Global Growth Initiatives. Mr. Booth is chairman of both Ford of Europe and Volvo Car Corporation. Mr. Booth also was formerly responsible for the
Premier Automotive GroupThe Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the business operations of Volvo Cars.Previously, PAG was responsible for Lincoln, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mercury and Land Rover; Lincoln and Mercury were taken back into Ford direct control, and Aston Martin was...
from October 2005.
Prior to his most recent appointment, Mr. Booth was chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe, from April 2004 to Sept 2005, and held the position of president and COO, Ford of Europe, from September 2003 to April 2004. Between 2002 and 2003, Mr. Booth was president and then chairman of Mazda Motor Corporation based in
Hiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It became the first city in history assaulted by nuclear armament when the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on it on August 6, 1945, near the culmination...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where he oversaw the implementation of the company's highly successful Millennium Plan and the return of the
rotary engineThe rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...
in the RX-8.
Mr. Booth was President, Asia Pacific and Africa Operations for
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
, a position he held from January 1, 2000. In this role, Lewis Booth had operational responsibility for
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
and
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and for developing Ford’s strategy in the
Asia-PacificAsia-Pacific or Apac is that part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean. The area includes much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia and Oceania)....
region.
From Aug 1997 to Jan 2000, Mr. Booth served as Group Managing Director of the South Africa Motor Corporation (SAMCOR). At that time, Ford had 45% equity in
SAMCORThe South African Motor Corporation, known more commonly as Samcor, was a South African car manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger of Ford's South African subsidiary and Anglo-American Motor Corporation, which produced Mazdas for the local market...
, which assembled Ford and
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
vehicles in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
. Subsequently, the
SAMCORThe South African Motor Corporation, known more commonly as Samcor, was a South African car manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger of Ford's South African subsidiary and Anglo-American Motor Corporation, which produced Mazdas for the local market...
joint venture was dissolved and Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa was established.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, he held a series of management positions in Ford of Europe in
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
in Finance Staff, Truck Operations, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Sales.
In 1992, he moved to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he worked for Finance Staff in
Dearborn-Places:In the United States:* Dearborn, Michigan* Dearborn, Missouri* Dearborn County, Indiana* Fort Dearborn * Fort Dearborn , in present-day Odiorne State Park-People:...
. From 1993 to 1996, Booth held a variety of positions in Car Product Development, Body & Assembly, Vehicle Operations and the Manufacturing Business Office for Ford Automotive Operations before accepting the position of Group Managing Director at
SAMCORThe South African Motor Corporation, known more commonly as Samcor, was a South African car manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger of Ford's South African subsidiary and Anglo-American Motor Corporation, which produced Mazdas for the local market...
in South Africa.
Born in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of a Ford,
Austin-Geographical locations:In the United States:*Austin, Texas, the state capital of Texas*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, in Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
and
MorrisThe Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque.-Early...
dealer, Booth has the car business in his blood and makes no apologies for his passion for cars and the auto business.
After completing his bachelor of engineering degree with honors in mechanical engineering at Liverpool University, he started his career at British Leyland before joining Ford in 1978 as a financial analyst in Product Development for Ford of Europe.
A qualified chartered management accountant, he lives with his wife in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. They have two children.