Mr. John A. Casesa has been the Group Vice President of Global Strategy of Ford Motor Co. since March 1, 2015. Mr. Casesa is the most senior leader overseeing global strategy and corporate development as part of Ford’s commitment to accelerate its One Ford plan, deliver product excellence and drive innovation in every part of the business. Mr. Casesa serves as an Equity Analyst, Research Division of Merrill Lynch & Co Inc. He served as Managing Director and Global Coordinator of Automotive Research at Merrill Lynch from 1999 to 2006. Prior to joining Ford, Mr. Casesa served as Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Securities, LLC, where he led its automotive investment banking activities. In this role since 2010, he advised the auto industry’s leading companies and investors in connection with strategic transactions including mergers, acquisitions and capital raising. Mr. Casesa was Managing Partner of Casesa Shapiro Group LLC since 2006 until 2010, which he co-founded in 2006. During this time, he was a co-owner of domestic and import dealerships in the U.S. northeast region. He served as Research Analyst at BofA Merrill Lynch, Research Division. He served as Equity Analyst at Barclays PLC, Research Division. He served as Global Coordinator for Automotive Research. Mr. Casesa served as Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co. from 1999 to 2006. He served as the President of the Automotive Analysts of New York. Previously, he served as Managing Director at the Investment Bank Wertheim Schroder & Co. He served as Managing Director of Schroders PLC from 1989 to 1999. He also served on the Marketing and Product Planning Analyst of General Motors Corporation. He served as an Equity Analyst of Citigroup Inc, Research Division, Schroder & Co., Inc., Research Division and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Research Division. Mr. Casesa served as a Director of American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc., since 2007. Mr. Casesa served as a Director of American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. from 2007 to February 10, 2009. As one of Wall Street's leading automotive analysts, Mr. Casesa has addressed numerous automotive industry conferences including the University of Michigan's Management Briefing Seminars, the SAE Global Product Development Conference and the Automotive News World Congress. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Automotive Industry Agenda Council and has served as an advisor at its annual gathering in Davos. He was a Member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s User Advisor Council. As one of Wall Street's leading automotive analysts, Mr. Casesa has addressed numerous automotive industry conferences including the University of Michigan's Management Briefing Seminars, the SAE Global Product Development Conference and the Automotive News World Congress. In 1991, for example, he created the “Car Wars” report, which remains a benchmark for measuring automaker product competitiveness. In 2000, his “Who Makes the Car” report presented a new framework for understanding suppliers. In 2005, with World Resources Institute he co-authored “Energy Security & Climate Change” which foretold the clean car revolution. He was ranked as an All-Star eleven times by Institutional Investor magazine. He helped write the New York Stock Exchange’s qualifying exam for analysts (Series 86) as a Founding Member of the Exchange’s Research Analyst Qualification Exam Committee. He was one the industry’s leading auto analysts and investment banker for two decades. Mr. Casesa holds a B.S. from St. John's University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.