DEARBORN, Mich. — FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchise dealers, announced that Meri Glade, Ryan Soffa and Fadi Aoude have been appointed to key positions within the company.

Glade was named general counsel and chief compliance officer, while Soffa was named senior vice president of product development. Aoude was named senior vice president of technology.

"Meri Glade brings considerable legal experience and expertise to her new role," said Stacey Coopes, CEO of FordDirect. "Meri's expertise will empower FordDirect to continue to grow and meet our goal of helping Ford and Lincoln dealers sell more vehicles." 

Glade joins FordDirect to oversee all legal affairs of the organization and provide counsel to the executive management team and the Board of Directors. She brings more than 22 years of experience, and most recently served as general counsel for Pacific Ventures Law Group, providing corporate counsel services to companies in the digital, technology and manufacturing verticals.

Aoude and Soffa will now lead the development of products for Ford and Lincoln dealers, including services offered by DealerConnection and DealerConnection Product Customization Service. Soffa will be responsible for leading the product team that develops dealer solutions, while Aoude will be responsible for all technology at the company.

Soffa’s experience spans retail, wholesale, and third-party operations in the automotive industry. Prior to joining FordDirect in 2003, he held various positions in the retail automotive marketplace and at American Dealer Services.

In his more than 11 years with FordDirect, Aoude was responsible for strategic management and technical guidance for FordDirect's IT operations, as well as program management, business development, and technology and process transformation. He will continue to provide the strategic leadership for the company's technology infrastructure, and oversee applications development, and information security and compliance.

"Fadi and Ryan's efforts have been instrumental in the deployment of high-quality products to help Ford and Lincoln dealers sell more vehicles," Coopes said. "Dealers trust us to be their advisor in the digital space and under Fadi and Ryan's leadership, FordDirect is positioned to continue delivering dealers the best technology."