Ford Appoints Goldsberry
to Global Position
By Jacqueline Mitchell
C u s to m e rs across th e
globe w ant good service.
M cDonald’s knows that. No
m atter where you go in the
world, a M cD onald’s meal
is the same.
Ford iMotor Co. w ants
the same thing in its cus­
to m e r service division —
consistent perform ance by
its dealers in custom er han­
dling, technical training, ve­
hicle rep a ir an d service,
whatever the geographic lo­
cation.
M indful of w hat he calls
the “M c D o n a ld ’s ex p eri­
ence Ron Goldsberry, one
of tw o A frican-A m erican
vice presidents at Ford, has been charged w ith the global
responsibility of bringing Ford's custom er service division
up to speed.
For Goldsbcrry, the prom otion broadens his range of
responsibility. H e has worn former hats as vice president
and general manager of Ford’s custom er service division
for its N orth American operations. And before his recent
appointm ent, he was vice president of the Ford C ustom er
Service D ivision, the
service arm of Ford s
Ron Goldsberry,
automotive operations.
In the new ly created
one of two Afri­
position, Goldsberrv is
can-American vice
responsible for w orld­
presidents at Ford, wide custom er service
activities, m erchandis­
has been charged
ing, p a rts sales a n d
with the global
marketing, and a net­
responsibility of
w ork of 12,000 e m ­
p lo y e e s s c a t t e r e d
bringing Ford’s
worldwide.
customer service
“T he ownership ex­
division up to
perience is im portant
and w hat auto com pa­
speed.
nies do with that expe­
rience is im p o rta n t,"
20
AFRK AN AMERICANS O N WHEELS
G oldsberry says. O n e of his goals
is “to increase the retention of our
service custom ers,” he said, ad d ­
ing that roughly 40 percent will
com e back for ro u tin e m ain te­
nance. “We w ant to at least double
th at.”
Goldsberry says he is looking at
a num ber o f ways to improve the
retention rate of Ford customers.
Cost of service is a major issue con­
fronting all manufacturers. It is still
less expensive to have a vehicle ser­
viced by an independent mechanic
than by a dealer. “W e are working
w ith suppliers to drive down our
cost so that we can be more com ­
petitive,” he says.
G oldsberrv’s association w ith
Ford began in 1983 when Ford purchased Parker C hem i­
cal Co., where he was vice president and general manager.
He moved to the custom er service division in 1991 as gen­
eral sales and m arketing manager.
Goldsberry, 55, brings
a wealth o f experience to
the position, and reflects
w hat it takes to be a glo­
bal executive. He encour­
ages aspiring executives to
learn other languages and
to become familiar with
oth er cultures. “I speak
F re n c h , G e rm a n a n d
so m e
J a p a n e s e ,”
Goldsberry explains. He
has lived in Europe and
spent considerable time in
Japan and Brazil, and has
a lot o f experience in deal­
ing with different nation­
alities and cultures.
Even though African Americans are moving into the ex­
ecutive offices, Goldsberry believes more needs to be done.
“T he rate of progression is not where we would like it to
be, but it is increasing over tim e.”
He encourages
aspiring execu­
tives to learn
other languages
and to become
familiar with
other cultures.
t
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