Ford has appointed its first director for Smart Mobility in Europe as it looks to “tackle urban transportation challenges and opportunities”.

Sarah-Jayne Williams joins the US car giant from BearingPoint, a global business consulting firm where she was a partner in the Automotive team and led the company-wide Connected Car Centre of Excellence, and will take up her post in September.

A statement issued by Ford revealed that Williams will support Ford’s global City Solutions team by working closely with European city planners, public transport agencies and communities to create solutions that will meet the “changing needs of both urban dwellers and cities”.

Ford’s recent European initiatives in this area have included the announcement of a trial later this year of a fleet of plug in hybrid electric (PHEV) Transit delivery vans working with Transport for London and other fleet partners prior to the vehicle going into production in 2019, and in future may include shared services like ridesharing.

Williams will report to Ford of Europe president and chief executive, Steven Armstrong, and to John Larsen, Ford’s vice president, Global Operations, Smart Mobility.

Armstrong said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sarah-Jayne to the Ford team in Europe. Her role is to tackle urban transportation challenges and opportunities, and respond to the growth of the sharing economy by defining and implementing Ford of Europe’s Smart Mobility strategy.

“She will focus on accelerating the launch of mobility services across Europe through collaboration, especially with cities, innovation and growing the existing team.”

Williams said: “The auto industry is on the cusp of a revolution as great as that when Henry Ford first made the car accessible to the masses over 100 years ago.

“I’m looking forward to joining the Ford team and to being part of its adventure into the world of Smart Mobility.”