Kevin Griffin has been appointed to the position of director, fleet operations at Ford Motor Company Ltd., to succeed Mike Wear, who is retiring after 33 years with the company.

Kevin Griffin joined Ford in 1977 in personal import export sales, before progressing through zone manager positions in Fleet and Retail sales. In 1993 he moved to Ford of Europe as manager of sales planning and programming and later as manager of rental operations, rental distribution and remarketing. In 2000, Kevin was appointed district manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland. He takes up his new appointment on 1 October.

Mike Wear, 56, joined Ford as a graduate trainee in 1970, and as director, fleet operations, his many achievements include the introduction of Ford Direct, establishing the Ford Fleet Business Centre and MAGIC, Ford's motability centre. More recently he has chaired the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team for the Home Office, delivering results for the entire industry.

Paul Thomas, managing director, Ford Motor Company Limited, said: "Mike has made an outstanding contribution to Ford Motor Company. The fleet market is a key element of Ford's long term success in the UK and Mike's understanding of this crucial market and our customers has been instrumental in maintaining Ford's leadership in the UK."