Hau Thai-Tang is chief industrial platform officer, effective March 2, 2022. He reports to Jim Farley, president and CEO, Ford.

Previously, Thai-Tang was Ford’s chief product platform and operations officer since 2020 and prior to this he served as Ford’s chief product development & purchasing officer, globally responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s product design, engineering, and development, as well as purchasing operations. He led the development of Ford’s award-winning product lineup including the Mustang Mach-E, Bronco, Maverick and Lightning.

Thai-Tang also served as group vice president, Global Purchasing, where he was responsible for more than $100 billion in annual spending on production and non-production goods and services around the world.

Thai-Tang has more than 25 years in Product Development, including serving as vice president, Engineering for Global Product Development. In this capacity, he directed all global engineering for car, truck, SUV and crossover vehicles for the Ford and Lincoln brands in support of the One Ford plan.

Thai-Tang’s international experience includes assignments in Cologne, Germany, and four years serving as director of Product Development for Ford South America. Based in Brazil, he oversaw the development of new products for value markets and led the emergence of FSAO as a global product development center.

Previously, Thai-Tang served as the chief engineer for the Mustang program, leading the design, development, and launch of the 2005 model year Mustang. An avid car enthusiast, Thai-Tang was a race engineer for Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on Ford’s Newman-Haas IndyCar team in 1993. His efforts contributed to six victories, 11 podium finishes, and the overall driver’s and manufacturer’s championships.

In 2001, the Automotive Hall of Fame awarded Thai-Tang the Young Leadership and Excellence Award. He also was named Asian Executive of the Year by On Wheels Inc. in 2006.  Most recently, Thai-Tang was named Purchasing Executive of the Year by Automotive Supply Chain Magazine and a Supply Chain All Star by Automotive News in 2018.

After graduating in 1988 from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thai-Tang joined Ford as a college graduate trainee. In 1993, he earned a master of business administration degree with distinction from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.