Ford Environmental Chief To Retire
By AutoObserver Staff December 12, 2011
Sue Cischke, one of the top-ranking women in the U.S. auto industry and longtime head of Ford Motor Co.s safety and environmental units, is retiring Feb.1, the automaker announced this morning. Robert Brown, 56, who currently serves as head of safety and environmental programs for Ford in Europe, will replace Cischke, 57. Her retirement after 35 years in the industry will leave just one woman, human relations chief Felicia Fields, in Fords top management ranks.
Cischke, who came to Ford in 2001 after 25 years at Chrysler, oversaw the development of an environmental program that commits Ford to making major improvements in fuel economy and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from its vehicles and its manufacturing facilities by 2020. She also worked with federal regulators on fuel economy and other environmental programs including the recently announced plan to push for a 54.5 miles-per-gallon federal fuel economy standard by 2025.
In her role as a group vice president at Ford, Cischke served as a mentor to and advocate for other women in the industry. She was one of the few high-level executives to meet regularly with Ford Chairman William Ford and CEO Alan Mullaly it was Mullaly who promoted her to the group vice presidency in 2008 as part of an effort to increase the companys emphasis on safety and environmental initiatives. Cischke told a reporter for the Detroit Free Press that she intends to remain active, promoting careers for women in science and speaking on environmental and energy issues.
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