F Ford Motor Company

By Adrienne Roberts and Mike Colias 

A Ford Motor Co. executive has left the company following allegations of inappropriate behavior, said a person familiar with the matter, marking the second time this year a leader has departed the auto maker over misconduct claims.

Prakash Patel, a global director of program management at Ford, is no longer working at the company, a Ford spokeswoman confirmed.

The specific nature of the accusations against Mr. Patel couldn't be learned. Mr. Patel couldn't be reached for comment.

In February, Raj Nair, a Ford veteran who once ran the auto maker's highly profitable North American region, was fired after an investigation found his behavior was inconsistent with the company's code of conduct.

At the time, Mr. Nair said in a statement: "I sincerely regret that there have been instances where I have not exhibited leadership behavior consistent with the principles of the company and I have always espoused."

The departure is the latest in a series of executives to exit the company as Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett works to turn around the business and reverse a decline in profits. The Dearborn, Mich., car maker recently lowered its full-year profit guidance after a weaker-than-expected second quarter and outlined plans for a broad, multiyear restructuring that could result in $11 billion in charges.

Mr. Hackett, more than a year on the job, is still trying to stabilize his management team. In July, Ford's top lobbyist Ziad Ojakli left after 14 years at the auto maker to join SoftBank Group Corp. Ford also lost its head of strategy last fall and its China CEO abruptly quit in January after less than six months on the job.

Mr. Patel, who rose through the ranks as a manager in Ford's Lincoln and Performance divisions, was responsible for a team of more than 1,200 employees globally, according to his LinkedIn page, which as of Tuesday, had him listed as still working at Ford.

Mr. Patel's successor has yet to be named.

While the auto industry hasn't been central to a recent wave in scandals involving top executives at a wide range of companies, Ford has had to confront sexual-harassment claims at its Chicago plant.

Mr. Hackett, responding to the accounts at the factory, apologized in December to employees in an open letter, telling them "there is absolutely no room for harassment" at Ford.

Automotive News was first to report By and Mr. Patel's departure.

Write to Adrienne Roberts at Adrienne.Roberts@wsj.com and Mike Colias at Mike.Colias@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 07, 2018 14:00 ET (18:00 GMT)

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