Ford Australia president Bill Osborne has resigned, soon after the car giant's announcement that 350 jobs would be lost at Victorian plants.
Osborne has been president for six months and has worked at Ford Motor Company for 18 years in engineering and executive roles.
He will relocate to America to take up a chief executive position for an independently owned, publicly listed company, according to company spokeswoman Sinead McAlary, who said the timing of the two events was unrelated.
She would not say which company Osborne was joining but said it was outside the automotive industry.
John Parker, Ford Motor Company executive vice president of Asia–Pacific and Africa, said in the statement a replacement would be announced "in due course".
"Bill has made significant contributions during his career with Ford Motor Company, and we wish him and his family all the best with his future endeavour," said Parker.
