Ford shook up its top ranks Tuesday with the exits of Stephen Odell and John Casesa, as CEO Jim Hackett assembles his new leadership team.

In addition, Ford promoted five women fewer than 48 hours before the scheduled third-quarter earnings report.

Odell, the vice president of global marketing, sales and service once viewed as a dark horse for CEO, leaves after 37 years with Ford. Casesa, a well-respected adviser and confidant hired by ousted CEO Mark Fields, leaves his role as a global strategy vice president. Kumar Galhotra adds global marketing responsibilities to his current role leading Lincoln, effective Nov. 1.

“As we develop our strategy to become the most trusted mobility company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world, we will continue to reshape the organization to deliver the most value for our customers and all of our stakeholders,” Hackett said in a prepared statement. “The changes we are announcing today will further align resources and improve efficiencies throughout our global markets and operations.”

While the announcement shocked some industry observers, others say the changes simply move Ford toward its overall goals.

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“Steve Odell has been talking about retiring for the last couple years. He’s from the U.K. and he’s already got other homes set up,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Autotrader. “This has been in the works. Kumar is up and coming. He has been leading Lincoln, which is an emerging company. He really has just gotten started on its reinvention. Kumar is a steady hand. It’s a global brand and he has global experience.”

She added, “John Casesa was a Wall Street analyst brought in by Mark Fields to help with future strategy and mobility. So he was a Fields guy. Generally, this is the time of year when companies make announcements. You’ll see this at Delphi and GM.”

Casesa, 55, elected to leave the company, effective Nov. 1, as the company realigns the global strategy function, Ford said.

Most people leaving have been at the company since the tenure of beloved CEO Alan Mulally. So this is widely perceived as Hackett moving out the legacy management team. Analysts noted the promotion of women in the latest power shift. “It’s nice to see,” Krebs said. “We haven’t seen a lot of women rise in the ranks at Ford.”

Ford provided detail about new roles and reporting structure:

Linda Cash, 55, will lead Quality and New Model Launch, succeeding Bennie Fowler, 61, who is retiring after serving 27 years at Ford

Dale Wishnousky, 54, will lead Manufacturing, Ford of Europe, succeeding Cash

Birgit Behrendt, 58, is named to a newly created position leading Joint Ventures, Alliances and Commercial Affairs, Ford of Europe

Lisa Drake, 45, will lead Global Powertrain Purchasing and Global Purchasing Operations, succeeding Behrendt

Felicia Fields, 52, retires after a 31-year career at Ford; Kiersten Robinson, 47, to act as interim Human Resources leader

Joy Falotico, 50, Ford Credit chairman and CEO, and group vice president of Ford Motor Company, now reports to the CEO

Galhotra, 51, will report to Jim Farley, executive vice president and president, Global Markets.

Odell was instrumental in leading the development and implementation of Ford’s European transformation plan with an emphasis on achieving profitable growth through an intense focus on new products, a strong brand and increased cost efficiency, Ford said in a statement. He also served six years with Mazda on three continents and as CEO of Volvo.

In his expanded position, Galhotra will continue to lead the transformation of Lincoln as a luxury brand, a role he has held since September 2014. He is charged with developing more effective brand communications including digital services, e-mobility and autonomy. With nearly 30 years of global experience at Ford and Lincoln, Galhotra knows product development and business strategy.

Industry observers say the Ford team is monitoring changes with cautious optimism, though there is concern among salaried employees backed by Fields.

Dave Sullivan, product analysis manager at AutoPacific, said, “The pressure is on at all levels as Hackett looks to break some habits and complacent behaviors."

Ford also announced the following details about global operations and Ford of Europe:

Cash will report to Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of global operations. She is responsible for maintaining quality throughout the design and production of Ford vehicles, and for new model launches globally. Joining Ford in 1984, Cash has spent her entire career with Ford in manufacturing. She previously was vice president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe, based in Cologne, Germany.

Cash succeeds Fowler, group vice president of quality and new model launch. He held positions in engineering, manufacturing and product development that directly influenced the quality of Ford's newest, current and future model vehicles, launching more than 900 vehicles, 163 powertrain programs and 19 plants around the world. Under Fowler’s leadership, Ford’s quality improved globally and jumped to No. 2 of all non-premium brands in J.D. Power’s 2017 Initial Quality Study – Ford’s best-ever ranking in the annual study now in its 31st year.

Succeeding Cash is Wishnousky, as vice president of manufacturing for Ford of Europe and is appointed a company officer. Based in Cologne, Wishnousky will report jointly to Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president for Europe, Middle East and Africa and to Bruce Hettle, group vice president of manufacturing and labor affairs.

At Ford of Europe, Behrendt becomes vice president of joint ventures, alliances and commercial affairs, reporting to Steven Armstrong. Appointed a corporate officer in 2013, Behrendt is the highest-ranking German national and first-ever German national female officer working for Ford of Europe.

In this newly created position based in Cologne, Behrendt will be responsible for developing new arrangements to support the company’s business growth. She also will be part of the leadership team responsible for driving the region’s strategic initiatives. Joining Ford in 1978, Behrendt has held various positions within Purchasing and several global leadership roles. She most recently served as vice president of global powertrain purchasing and global purchasing operations in Dearborn.

Succeeding Behrendt is Drake, as vice president of global powertrain purchasing and global purchasing operations. She also is appointed a company officer. In this role, Drake will be responsible for all powertrain purchasing operations worldwide, as well as global operational purchasing performance. She will report jointly to Hau Thai-Tang, executive vice president of product development and purchasing and to Raj Nair, executive vice president and president of North America.

Ford Credit will play an increasingly significant role in Ford Motor Company’s business strategy by identifying revenue-generating financing opportunities and mobility business models – including vehicle sharing and flexible payments. All appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2018, unless otherwise noted.