Ford Taps Apple Vet Peter Stern to Lead Customer Experience Program

Ford has named Apple veteran Peter Stern to oversee its connected car efforts.

Stern, a key player behind the launch of services like Apple TV+, Apple One and Apple Fitness+, was named to lead the newly formed Ford Integrated Services, the auto giant said in a news release Monday (Aug. 14).

He began his work Monday, and will be responsible for expanding the business tied to BlueCruise, Ford’s hands-free highway driving system, as well as productivity and safety/security services, including those from the Ford Pro Intelligence business.

“This is transformational, because the cornerstone of our Ford+ plan is creating incredible customer services and experiences enabled by great hardware and software,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said. “There’s simply no one in the world better able than Peter Stern to build this strategically vital part of our business.”

According to the release, Ford has more than 550,000 paid software and services subscribers, with Ford Pro commercial customers currently making up more than 80% of them.

“There are indications, of course, that the connectivity being forged includes payments, especially when it comes to actually paying for vehicles,” PYMNTS wrote Monday.

For example, in 2022, Ford teamed with Stripe Connect to let it facilitate and route customers’ payments to dealerships.

“We’re powering the financing part of the strategy,” James Dyett, then-head of global product sales and payments performance at Stripe, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster at the time. At the time of the interview, the payments side of the equation has been planned through the five-year partnership to move toward paying for other activities like electric vehicle charging.

The car-as-wallet concept has been gaining traction over the last several months, PYMNTS noted, as consumers grow more comfortable with the idea of “an app-driven daily interaction” as part of the time that is spent on the road. For example, one recent ConnectedEconomy report found that use of parking apps was up 30% year over year in the early months of 2023.

Ford’s hiring of Stern comes three months after rival General Motors named another Apple executive to oversee its software projects.

As executive vice president, software, Mike Abbott was tapped to lead a team that combined three software functions within the company that had been distinct.

The newly combined organization would create vehicle and enterprise software technologies and solutions and deliver digital services and features to retail and commercial customers, GM said in May.