DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. on Friday said Vijay Sankaran, who was supposed to be its next chief software and information officer, has elected not to take the job.
Sankaran, 47, said he wanted to take time off to spend with his family. He previously was CIO at trading company TD Ameritrade and before that was with Ford for 12 years, most recently as Ford IT’s chief technology officer.
“This was a difficult decision, as I was very interested in returning to Ford to help advance the company’s transformation, but I determined after much thought that I needed to take a break to devote more time to my family and recharge before taking on a new leadership role,” Sankaran said in a statement. “Despite this decision, I’m confident Ford has a bright future and extend my best wishes to my former colleagues.”
Sankaran was supposed to start in his new role Nov. 16. Ford said Friday that Jeff Lemmer will continue as CIO for the rest of the year, and that it plans to fill the role “in the near future.”