Top Indian-American Ford executive ousted for ‘inappropriate behaviour’

The company did not elaborate but a statement by the auto giant said the review determined certain behaviour by Raj Nair was inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct.

Ford Motors announced on Wednesday that Raj Nair, its president for North America, was leaving following “a recent internal investigation into reports of inappropriate behaviour”.

A Ford spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the investigation against the senior Indian-American executive was triggered by an anonymous tip received in recent weeks.

The company did not elaborate but a statement by the auto giant said “the review determined certain behaviour by Nair was inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct”.

A Ford spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the investigation against the senior Indian-American executive was triggered by an anonymous tip received in recent weeks.

“I sincerely regret that there have been instances where I have not exhibited leadership behaviours consistent with the principles that the company and I have always espoused,” the 53-year-old Nair said in a statement.

Though the exact nature of Nair’s misconduct remained unclear, The Journal noted the company had struggled with a history of sexual harassment on the assembly floor, with outstanding claims by women workers going back to the 1990s.

The ouster comes at a time when many business leaders and politicians have been fired or quit over accusations of sexual harassment which have also singed the entertainment industry.

Nair’s parents came from India, both professors.

A mechanical engineer by training, Nair had been leading the North American operations since 2017, having come up the ranks after joining the company in 1987 as body and assembly operations launch engineer. He held various positions on more than 11 vehicle programmes in 13 assembly plants.

“We made this decision after a thorough review and careful consideration,” Ford president and CEO Jim Hackett said. “Ford is deeply committed to providing and nurturing a safe and respectful culture and we expect our leaders to fully uphold these values.”

Described as a “rising star” of the company, Nair was one of Hackett’s top picks for the senior management as he sought to steer the company out of the messy ouster of his predecessor Mark Fields.