Ford Hires Ex-GM Truck Engineer Marissa West to Lead Vehicle Programs

Ford has hired Marissa West, a former President of General Motors North American business, as Vice President of Vehicle Programs as it prepares to renew most of its lineup by 2029. West will join on November 16 and will lead vehicle program and program operations teams, supporting vehicle development and integration, program execution and global product programs across Ford portfolio, the company said on Tuesday, November 10.

West brings more than 20 years of automotive and vehicle engineering experience, with much of her career focused on vehicle programs, integration and launches. She began in the industry as a college intern in 2001 and joined GM full time in 2003, according to a biography GM Canada published in 2022. She studied mechanical engineering at Michigan State University and later earned a master degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. As Chief Engineer for GM next-generation full-size trucks, West was responsible for launching the 2020 GMC Sierra HD and Chevrolet Silverado HD. She also led the design and engineering of future full-size truck and SUV programs representing about 1.6 billion dollars of investment, and was then Executive Chief Engineer for GM global midsize truck and medium-duty truck programs.

West moved to the commercial side in 2022 as President and Managing Director of GM Canada, and GM named her Senior Vice President and President of GM North America in December 2023, effective January 2, 2024. She left on August 9, 2024, a little over seven months later. She joins Ford from OPmobility, the French supplier formerly known as Plastic Omnium, where she was Executive Vice President and Chairperson for North America. West is the second senior GM product executive to join Ford programs organization in just over a year, after Sam Basile joined in October 2025 as vice president of Advanced Product Development, Cycle Planning and Programs. Ford expects to refresh about 70 percent of its global vehicle portfolio by volume by 2029.