Ford Mobility's Rajendra “Raj” Rao. As CEO, Hackett said Rao is tasked with growing various “mobility” enterprises, including Ford’s new City Solutions business, its Chariot shuttle business and Greenfield Labs.
Designed to compete like a startup company, Ford Smart Mobility builds its mobility “solutions” through its Greenfield Labs team. It also is collaborating with start-ups and tech companies, such as recently acquired Chariot, an app-based, crowd-sourced shuttle company, and its collaboration with Motivate to launch Ford GoBike in San Francisco.
Previously, Rao worked with iGATE Capital, Brunswick Corporation and as vice president of digital business model innovation at 3M, managing its Silicon Valley digital hub and Internet-of-Things (IoT) projects.
“I am energized by the opportunity to develop and grow Ford’s new mobility businesses, leveraging the company’s inherent strengths,” Rao noted in a statement.
“I have spent the better part of my career unleashing the power that exists globally with ecommerce, connected devices and digitization,” he said. “The opportunity now to apply that experience and passion for innovation to helping Ford change the way the world moves is the perfect culmination.”
