One NZ executive takes the wheel at Ford New Zealand
Words: Richard Edwards
Ford New Zealand’s new boss comes from the phone business rather than the car business. Mike Purchase, most recently chief enterprise director at One New Zealand, takes over as managing director on 16 November.
At One NZ, Purchase led a team of about 500 people and was responsible for the enterprise business’s strategy, transformation programme, commercial performance and growth across the ICT and government sectors. His career spans close to 40 years in telecommunications and technology, including senior roles at Vodafone, WorldxChange, New Zealand Post and Capgemini Ernst & Young.
He replaces Annaliese Atina, who becomes managing director of Ford Vietnam on 1 December. Atina is relocating to Hanoi and will report to Andrew Birkic, vice president of sales and service for Ford’s International Markets Group.
Fadi Mawal, president and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand, says Purchase brings considerable commercial, leadership and governance experience to the local business.
“Mike is a highly experienced and collaborative leader with a strong track record of delivering growth, leading transformation and building teams around customers and complex business outcomes,” says Mawal. “His experience across technology, enterprise, government and large-scale business operations will be a valuable asset to Ford New Zealand as we continue to build on our momentum and deliver for our customers, dealers and stakeholders.”
Ford says Purchase’s background covers large-scale P&L leadership, enterprise and government sales, digital transformation and business integration, including moving traditional telecommunications sales teams towards selling more complex ICT solutions.
Away from his executive roles, Purchase has served on the boards of Maritime New Zealand and DEFEND, and is a former president and chair of Royal New Zealand Coastguard. He is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and has completed executive education in global management and Blue Ocean Strategy at INSEAD.
