Edsel B. Ford II, Former Board Member

FREE Zoom Meeting February 22, 2024

10:30 AM – Gene Nelson: Start FREE meeting.

11:00 AM– Speaker introduction: Andy Acho.  Matthew Godlewski is Vice President, International Government Affairs and Vice President, Government & Community Affairs, Ford of Europe. 

Introductory remarks by the speaker followed by Q & A.

12:00 PM – Gene Nelson: Other FREE business and conclusion.

Registrants will receive a zoom invitation prior to February 22. It will allow recipients to join the meeting and participate in the Q & A.

Note: For those members who fail to register by the closing date, but would like to join the meeting, the invitation will be accessible by logging in to the web page, www.fordretireeclub.org and looking under Latest News.

 

MATT GODLEWSKI

Matthew Godlewski is Vice President, International Government Affairs and Vice President, Government & Community Affairs, Ford of Europe.  He was appointed to these roles in January 2022.  In his international role, Godlewski oversees a global team responsible for advancing the Ford+ plan outside of the U.S. through trusted governmental relationships and policy expertise.  In addition, he manages Ford’s global trade policy strategy and international political risk portfolio. 

In Europe, Godlewski is responsible for shaping evolving policy priorities and negotiating investments in key markets with governments to support the business plans of Ford Model e, Ford Blue, and Ford Pro.  He also oversees community outreach and engagement.  Godlewski is based at Ford of Europe’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

Godlewski joined Ford Motor Company in 2017 as Director, Government and Stakeholder Relations and was appointed Vice President, U.S. Government Relations in 2020.  Prior to joining Ford, he was President of NGVAmerica, a national trade association dedicated to the development of a growing and sustainable U.S. market for heavy duty vehicles powered by natural gas.

From 2007 to 2014, Godlewski served as Vice President of State Affairs at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, where he led a team responsible for shaping policy issues on behalf of the world’s largest automakers. Prior to joining the automobile industry, he held policy and government affairs positions in Washington, D.C. with highly regulated alcohol and entertainment companies – Pernod Ricard USA, a division of the Paris, France based Pernod Ricard spirits and wine company from 2002 to 2016; and Seagram/Universal Studios from 1998 to 2002.

A graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College, Godlewski holds a bachelor's degree in American Public Affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE Luncheon: Thursday, 16 May 2024

10:15 AM: Begin registration at Dearborn Country Club

11:00 AM: Lunch – $30, Flank Steak or Whitefish

 11:40 AM: Gene Nelson - Start FREE meeting; review agenda, upcoming speakers, other FREE business.

11:45 AM: Donna Inch - Introduce speaker: John Lawler, Chief Financial Officer

The Zoom session will start earlier and will go live at 11:40.

Introductory remarks will be followed by a question & answer discussion. Only in-person members will participate in the interactive Q & A. Zoom participants may submit questions in advance by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. They will be consolidated and integrated into the Q & A by the moderator. The deadline for questions is 14 May 2024.

Please register by Friday, 10 May as meal counts must be provided for the kitchen. To register, login, click on the event and navigate to the bottom of the page. Click on Register, go to Menu Choice and make a selection.

Check the “I will attend this event” box and click the “Process Registration” button.  A confirmation message will appear at the top of the page when it refreshes.

If you have any problems trying to register, phone or text 248-767-6658 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; please don’t wait until the last minute. If you don’t register, we may not be able to serve you.

The Zoom invitation will be emailed to those who register for Zoom only. It will also be available at the Ford Retiree Club website after login under “Latest News” for those who are late in registering.

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JOHN LAWLER

Chief Financial Officer

 John Lawler is chief financial officer for Ford. As CFO, Lawler has overall responsibility for Ford’s Finance functions, including Accounting, Financial Planning and Analysis, Treasury, Tax, Investor Relations, Economics, and Audit, as well as the Ford Credit business.

Lawler was previously chief executive officer of Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC and vice president, Mobility Partnerships, where he led the team developing and bringing to market driverless transportation services. Before that, Lawler served as vice president, Strategy, overseeing Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Global Data Insights and Analytics where he facilitated creation of Ford’s long-term enterprise strategy and helped deliver critical partnerships, including with VW and Mahindra.

Lawler served as vice president and corporate controller and chief financial officer, Global Markets, from 2016 to 2018. He has also held a number of roles throughout Ford’s global enterprise, including chairman and, chief executive officer of Ford China, and CFO) for Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, based in Shanghai.  In the latter role, he was responsible for the financial strategy and analysis of the company’s operations throughout and helped set business strategy for the region.

He joined Ford in 1990 and subsequently served in a variety of roles in North America, Europe and Asia. His assignments included controller of Ford of Europe’s Product Development organization and a finance leadership assignment with Mazda in Japan. Later, Lawler was a key member of the team that led the company’s North American turnaround, serving as controller of U.S. Marketing and Sales from January 2007 until moving to China in 2010.  In the U.S. position, he was responsible for key business strategies including pricing and business planning, and led the company’s efforts to reduce complexity and overhaul dealer policies.

Lawler earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Knox College in 1988 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa in 1990. He and his wife, Inga, have three children.