Sherif Marakby is returning to Ford as the company’s Product Development COVID-19 strategy advisor, effective immediately.

Marakby, formerly president and CEO of the Ford AV LLC from July 2018 to Nov. 2019, is returning from a personal leave to take on this special assignment, helping lead Ford’s Product Development coronavirus response strategy.

Marakby joined Ford Motor Company in 1990 and served in a variety of positions in Product Development throughout North America and Europe. His roles ranged from having full responsibility of regional vehicles’ powertrain and lineup to his role as the vehicle line director of all C-sized vehicles globally, including Ford Escape, Focus and C-MAX. Marakby also worked in plant vehicle teams for several years, delivering significant quality and financial improvement to the business at two vehicle-manufacturing plants.

He has extensive background in electrification, having led the Ford team to deliver a battery electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles.

Previously, Marakby was vice president, Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification after returning to Ford from Uber where he was the former vice president, global vehicle programs, from April 2016 to April 2017. He also was a board member at Argo AI.

He was named Automotive News “Electrifying 100 EV leaders” in 2012 and “60 Who Are Steering Self-Driving Vehicles” in 2016. He also received multiple quality awards and he received the “Henry Ford Technology Award” in 2010. He is a Master Six-Sigma Blackbelt Champion.

Marakby has a Master in Electronics Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.