By John Lloyd 
Ford CEO Jim Farley now has another job. As if running one of America’s largest automakers wasn’t enough, Farley has officially joined the board of McDonald’s, effective February 4. The Golden Arches now gain a high-profile auto executive. Ford, meanwhile, gets a CEO stretching his attention even thinner.
This is not a symbolic appointment. McDonald’s says Farley’s experience modernizing global brands and steering complex organizations will help guide its next phase of growth. That brings the fast-food giant’s board to 13 members, half of whom have joined since 2022 as part of a leadership refresh.
Farley has led Ford since 2020. He has spent three decades managing major operations across multiple continents, reshaping Lincoln and pushing the company’s Ford Plus strategy. Before that, he spent nearly 20 years at Toyota and Lexus building brand strength. No one disputes the résumé. The issue is bandwidth.
Ford is not a side project. It is a legacy American automaker navigating intense competition, massive structural change and relentless global pressure. Steering that ship requires focus. It requires discipline. It requires leadership that isn’t splitting time between Dearborn and a fast-food boardroom.
Farley is also preparing to step away from his board role at Harley-Davidson after deciding not to stand for re-election. That exit makes room for McDonald’s. But it also underscores a pattern: board seats are currency in corporate America, and top executives trade them freely.
Outside the boardroom, Farley is known for racing at over 200 mph in events like the Mustang Challenge and competing at circuits including Le Mans and Daytona. He thrives on speed and competition. That intensity built his reputation. But Ford doesn’t need a CEO collecting extra titles. It needs one fully locked in.
When the head of a major automaker starts stacking outside commitments, it sends a message — intentional or not — about priorities. And in an industry that punishes distraction, that’s a gamble.
Corporate America may applaud the résumé building. But Ford’s customers and enthusiasts expect something simpler: total focus on the road ahead. At some point, even the most driven executive has to choose where the real work is.
Elizabeth Puckett 
Shawn Henry