Ford Motor Company has appointed British-born former Apple brand expert, Musa Tariq as vice president and chief brand officer as part of its expansion to an auto and a mobility company.

A London School of Economics and Political Science graduate, Tariq will take up his post on January 30th and will be responsible for further building and differentiating the company’s Ford brand.

Tariq will work with marketing, communications and company leaders to define, build and communicate the Ford primary brand and what it stands for with all stakeholders, a statement said.

Mark Fields, Ford’s president and chief executive, said: “As we grow our business, we’re also expanding our focus on and investment in building and differentiating our iconic Ford brand, which is known, loved and trusted around the world.

“Our opportunity is to connect with even more consumers and stakeholders – some who never have done business with Ford before – through compelling and culturally relevant marketing and communications.

“Musa has led transformational work at some of the world’s most admired brands, and he is a leader known for challenging convention. We’re excited for him to bring his expertise, knowledge and passion to Ford.”

Tariq will report jointly to Stephen Odell, Ford executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service, and to Ray Day, Ford group vice president, Communications.

Prior to joining Ford, Tariq was Apple’s Global Marketing and Communication director for Retail.

In this role, he launched several initiatives that enhanced the retail experience in more than 490 Apple stores and for more than 65,000 Apple Retail employees around the world.

Prior to Apple, Tariq was the senior director of Social Media and Community at Nike, as well as the global head of Digital Marketing and later the first-ever director of Social Media at Burberry.