Ford has named Apple veteran Peter Stern to lead the newly formed Ford Integrated Services, which will create and market valuable software-enabled customer experiences across Ford Blue, Model e and Ford Pro. Stern had previously served as vice president of Services at Apple for more than six years through January 2023 and was a driving force behind the launch of Apple’s portfolio of services, including Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, MLS Season Pass and Apple One.
Stern is going to report to President and CEO Jim Farley and will build a world-class team to:
— Build out the business tied to Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system and productivity and safety/security services, including those from the Ford Pro Intelligence business
— Imagine and deliver exciting new high-value services, and
— Lead services marketing, certain out-of-vehicle customer experiences, and Ford Next.
Ford is developing leadership at the forefront of connected digital platforms that will revolutionize every aspect of how vehicles function, the way people interact with them, and the value those vehicles provide. The company has over 550,000 paid software and services subscribers, with Ford Pro commercial customers today accounting for over 80%.
Stern was motivated to join Ford to help transform the company with valuable and affordable services for millions of customers.
Along with running Apple TV+ and Sports, iCloud, Apple News, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and Apple One, Stern headed marketing for all Apple services, including the App Store, Apple Card, Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple Maps. Stern also oversaw Apple’s ad businesses during a period of rapid growth. Before joining Apple in 2016, Stern was Time Warner Cable’s EVP and chief product, people, and strategy officer. He began his career at McKinsey & Co.
Stern earned a juris doctor degree from Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and author of the book Connecticut Prisoners’ Rights. And he subsequently became a member of the New York and Connecticut bars. Stern has a bachelor’s degree in music and English from Harvard University.
KEY QUOTES:
“This is transformational because the cornerstone of our Ford+ plan is creating incredible customer services and experiences enabled by great hardware and software. There’s simply no one in the world better able than Peter Stern to build this strategically vital part of our business.”
— Ford President and CEO Jim Farley
“I love creating new services businesses, and this is the perfect chance to do just that. The auto industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, from gas engines to electric vehicles and from human to autonomous driving.
“At the same time, the basis for differentiation is shifting from the vehicles alone to the integration of hardware, software and services. I’ll be in the middle of something truly historic and am particularly fortunate to do that at Ford, which has been democratizing automotive technology for 120 years and counting.”
“You couple that with the Ford family’s involvement in the business and commitment to doing the right thing in the long term and this is really where I belong.”
— Peter Stern
