Chrysler Hires Ford Exec to Head Sales

The troubled Chrysler arm of DaimlerChrysler said it has hired away the head of global marketing for Ford Motor Co. to run its sales and marketing departments. Jim Schroer, 49, replaces Theodor “Ted” Cunningham, who stepped down when Chrysler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche was appointed in November. Chrysler also announced that two other senior sales executives would take the company’s early-retirement offers. One of their replacements is also a Ford executive. Chrysler said Chrysler executive Gary Dilts had been named senior vice president, sales and field service, and that Ford executive George Murphy was named Chrysler’s senior vice president of global brand marketing. Dilts and Murphy will both report to Schroer, succeeding M. John MacDonald and Arthur “Bud” Liebler, respectively, who are taking early retirement.