Bangkok--28 Sep--Hill+Knowlton Strategies Thailand
Ford Motor Company today announced the appointment of Yukontorn 'Vickie' Wisadkosin to president, Ford ASEAN, effective October 1. Wisadkosin is currently director, Marketing and Sales, Ford ASEAN, and managing director, Ford Thailand.
Yukontorn will continue to be based at Ford's ASEAN headquarters in Bangkok, and will report directly to Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president, and president, Asia Pacific. She will replace Mark Kaufman, who is repatriating back to the U.S.
In her new role, Yukontorn will be responsible for managing and growing Ford's integrated operations in ASEAN, as well as Korea and the company's Asia Pacific Emerging Markets (APEM) unit.
Ford's ASEAN region has reported record retail sales in each of the last four years, including 2016 sales that rose 11.5 percent to 115,979 vehicles and included record full-year sales in the Philippines and Vietnam, and continued market share gains in Thailand.
"We are so pleased to promote Khun Vickie to the leadership role of ASEAN, which is key to our ambitious growth plan for the Asia Pacific region," said Fleet. "We are confident that she will lead a very talented and capable team and continue driving the success of our ASEAN business."
In her current role, Yukontorn has overseen the Marketing and Sales efforts for ASEAN since June 2016, while concurrently serving as managing director, Ford Thailand. Yukontorn joined Ford as vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford Thailand, in September 2012, and was elevated to the role of managing director in February 2013.
During this time, she helped drive the growth of the Ford brand in Thailand, as Ford's market share has grown from 3.8 percent in 2013 to 5.3 percent in 2016, and stands at 6.4 percent through August this year, as well as the continued success of Ford's leading nameplates in the ASEAN region.
This includes the Thai-built Ranger, which has remained the best-selling pickup in Vietnam this year, the second-best seller in the Philippines, and has increased its segment share in Thailand a remarkable 3.7 percentage points from the same quarter last year to 12.2 percent.
Yukontorn earned a Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University, and Bachelor's degree from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.