MARIN BURELA

PRESIDENT & CEO, FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Last October, Marin Burela took up one of the Australian automotive industry's most important and challenging positions: President and CEO of Ford Australia.

With a quarter of a century working for Ford worldwide, Marin brings a wealth of experience to the role. He has served in a variety of senior management positions in manufacturing, sales and marketing, and product development in Asia, Europe and North America. He has as well held a number of senior management roles at Ford Australia, where he was last based in 1998.

Marin joined Ford Europe in 2004 to lead the development of Ford's Global Small Car product portfolio. This included the new global Ford Fiesta, which is currently being rolled out in European markets, and soon in markets in the Asia Pacific and African regions.

Marin's appointment to lead Ford Australia marks a return to where his career began with Ford as an engineering graduate of Ford Australia's graduate program in 1984.

Ford Motor Company sees his strong leadership and broad experience within its operations as the key to driving the successful future of Ford Australia's operations. As a Geelong native, Marin understands the importance of Ford to Australia and has a passion for ensuring the company succeeds here.

In addition to his roles at Ford Motor Company, Marin has held senior management positions at Jaguar and Land Rover. At Land Rover, he was responsible for the group's manufacturing operations, and was appointed to the Board of Land Rover in 2000. He was also appointed to the Board of Jaguar and Land Rover in 2002, before re-joining Ford of Europe in 2004.

With such a wealth of automotive experience from all over the world, Marin is well-placed to provide an insight into the current state of play and likely future developments in the auto industry. His keynote address is a must-see for anyone interested in where our industry is headed.

Details   When: Thursday 6 August  |  Time: 6:00pm  |  Dress: Jacket & Tie