Francisco Codina, the head of marketing, sales and service for Ford in North America will leave on Nov. 1 after 30 years at Ford. His departure, which has long been hinted at, comes as the automaker struggles to stop a decade-long slide in U.S. market share.

"Cisco's passion and dedication to Ford will be missed," said Ford Americas President Mark Fields. "Under Cisco's leadership, we began to stabilize our retail market share, energize our dealers, improve the resale value of our vehicles and speak with a more confident tone in our marketing."

However, Mulally himself has publicly criticized Ford's marketing strategies.

Meanwhile, Mulally promoted two other executives -- John Parker and Michael Bannister.

Parker oversees Ford's operations in Asia, the Pacific and Africa. Bannister is chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Credit. Both men were elevated to the rank of executive vice president, putting them directly beneath Mulally and at the same level as his other senior lieutenants, Fields and Ford of Europe head Lewis Booth. Detroit News