COMMENT: All change at the top? Industry disruption shifts dynamics of senior exec and board relationships

The recent high-profile departure of Ford's Chief Executive Mark Fields has thrown the spotlight on to the dynamics between boards and senior executives in the automotive sector in a climate of rapid and disruptive change. Electric and driverless cars are shaking up the status quo, and the threat is coming not from small start-ups but from some of the world’s biggest high-tech names like Google, Apple and Tesla. As they threaten to overturn traditional business models and eat into market share, there is more scrutiny on manufacturers’ leadership than ever before. How this plays out in terms of tenure at the top and succession planning is a critical issue for the industry.