Vale Geoff Polites

Geoff Polites was one of the 'good guys' of the auto industry. Passionate about his people and his products, Polites' tenure at Ford Australia commenced during one of the company's most difficult periods.
 
One of his lieutenants at that time was Ford's current vehicle development chief, Trevor Worthington. During the same period, Polites was in close contact with the auto media, including the Carsales Network (then CarPoint) editorial team -- in particular then-editor, Glenn Butler, and contributor, David McCarthy.
 
Both CarPoint staffers have sinced joined Trevor on the manufacturers' side of the industry -- though not at Ford. Here are the trio's tributes to the man they knew so well...

I really got to know Geoff when I was somewhat 'forcibly' returned to Ford Australia in early 2000 from an assignment in the USA -- about two years earlier than was the plan. 

Geoff was a very persuasive person.

It turned out to be the best thing that happened in my career. And the principal reason for this was Geoff.

Geoff had such intensity and focus; he could have been successful in anything he turned his mind to. Lucky for us, he chose the auto industry and Ford Australia. 

The first couple of years after my return were a very difficult time for the company. Geoff's total focus on the customer, and his understanding of the importance of nothing less than great product, made this tough time also one of incredible learning for me personally.

When Geoff wasn't happy, you knew it -- deeply folded arms and a face like he was chewing a wasp. To not deliver what the customers needed was unacceptable. When we knew we were on the right track or when we had cracked some difficult nut, his excitement was something else to experience.

Under Geoff's leadership and drive, and with a fair measure of the 'Geoff' work ethic, things improved. The result was BA Falcon and the Territory.

Geoff was an inspirational person to work and spend time with and it was a privilege to be part of his team. I miss him already.

Geoff Polites always seemed to end up navigating for me on Ford media drive programs while he was boss -- and we almost always got lost.

We'd be deep in conversation as the next designated turn-off would come and go, the route chart lying forgotten in his lap. Part of me wanted to get back on the right track. Another more mercenary part of me knew I'd be getting more one-on-one time with the bloke in the most scrutinised automotive job in Australia.

Geoff's chair in the corner office at Broadmeadows was the automotive hot seat. Ford Oz was drowning under the weight of an unloved AU Falcon losing share in a shrinking segment. Large cars were on their long and continuing descent from dominance to minority, and the balance of Ford's product range lacked contenders in the emerging markets. 

The 21-year-old Laser nameplate was on its last legs, as was the Festiva. The Mondeo was failing, the Probe had failed... The Explorer was exploding in the States and the monstrous F-Series turned out to be the truck nobody wanted.

Even Ford's long-awaited HSV-fighter, Tickford, couldn't seem to win a trick with its too-understated performance Falcons. Who in their right mind would have accepted the top job at Ford in that atmosphere?

Geoff saw it not as a poisoned chalice, but as the perfect challenge. And he wanted a shot at turning the Aussie Blue Oval around.

So, you'd think a journalist like me would be bursting with hard-hitting, incisive questions designed to baste the poor bloke over an open flame. You'd be right, and our test drives always started that way. But they rarely stayed there.

We'd be arguing about the potential sales performance of the brave new Territory, or the strengths and weaknesses of the BA Falcon. Inevitably, it'd meander into AFL or our pet dogs or whether Bon Scott was better than Brian Johnson. Or anything...

The thing about Geoff was; no topic was taboo. If it was about business, then he typified the nuggetty prize fighter with the quick feet and quicker wit. He was prepared to stand up to any line of questioning and give it his best shot. I don't recall him ever hiding behind his PR minder's skirts, and he never gave me a "No comment".

It also meant I took more liberties when questioning him. Sometimes I was chasing an angle or a rumour... Sometimes I just wanted to see if I could ruffle his feathers and get an uncontrolled response. It rarely worked with Geoff.

The problem was, Geoff was a complicated bloke, and utterly unpredictable. Throw a curly question his way and you never knew if it'd be hit back over your head for six or taken painfully on the chest.

Geoff believed in tackling problems head-on, an attitude that was typified by his approach to the media when he started as president and CEO. At a time when most of the Ford range was ignominiously exiting stage left or performing poorly on the sales charts, he didn't hide behind his desk. Instead, tackled us head-on at monthly media briefings.
 
I think he secretly enjoyed sparring with the media, and he often gave as good as he got. Journalists quickly learned not to turn up to these meetings poorly researched, because he wouldn't hesitate to use his 40 years of working Ford knowledge to blunt our attacks or even turn the tide of battle completely.

The last time we drove together was just before Christmas in December 2003. We were at the Anglesea proving ground in southern Victoria to test drive prototypes of the Ford Territory -- a car that owes its existence to Geoff's tenacity and foresight.

I didn't realise at the time that it'd be my last drive with Geoff.  It was also one of the few times we didn't get lost.

The question I asked was a predictable one -- used a lot in interviews with car company executives: "What's your dream job?"

Some execs give the predictable answer: "The one I'm doing now". Others pretend to ponder before obliquely dodging it and moving on.

Geoff barely hesitated: "I'd love to run Jaguar".

Eighteen months later he got the chance to do his dream job. And he did it until the day he died. I hope I have the good fortune to go out doing what I love.

I had the great fortune to have known Geoff since the launch of the BA Falcon -- first as a motoring journalist and later on when I became the PR Manager for DaimlerChrysler, and most recently Mercedes-Benz. 

At the BA Falcon launch I had only been a motoring journo for a year or so, but I quickly realised that he was one of those special (and increasingly rare) blokes who understood every part of the car industry. He had a memory like an elephant and the good humour to not take product criticism too personally. He had an infectious passion for life and his love for his family, including his dog Don, was the rock in his life.

Geoff hated anything discriminatory (unless it was directed at a footy team other than the Swans) and approved sponsorships of minority causes at Ford that at the time were considered risky. He continued this tradition at Jaguar and Land Rover. He was a straight talking, honest hardworking bloke who was probably one of the best networkers I have ever met. His memory for names was fantastic as was his grasp of facts and figures. It would be a brave trainspotter who challenged Geoff on detail.

Geoff's PR head at the time was Louise Teesdale (who was also claimed by cancer just over three years ago). Louise, like Geoff, believed the best way to disarm the motoring media was honesty. She and Geoff had full and frank discussions about Louise's proposal to 'drip feed' BA and Territory details in the run up to their respective launches. Of course, Louise stood her ground and convinced Geoff that the strategy was right. History has proved her right, and Geoff knew instinctively that it was great advice and he became its biggest supporter. The pair also introduced the monthly Ford sales briefings that were remarkable for their honesty, candour and humour. They continue to this day in the same format.

I remember the unbridled pride and passion Geoff felt for the BA Falcon and Territory -- which both went on the win the highly coveted Wheels Car Of The Year (COTY) Award. They were products approved against the odds by Ford's US head office and made possible by one of the best teams in the industry (not just in Australia but worldwide).

Geoff might technically have been the boss but he had a genuine connection with everyone at Ford Australia from the factory floor to the executive offices. He was a team player who truly believed that there was no 'I' in team.

Geoff never avoided difficult decisions, his honesty was a given and watching him disarm journalists with his straight-up no-crap responses was always entertaining.

I recall a particularly amusing incident on my radio show when Geoff was due to come in and have a chat. Ford had just won COTY for the BA Falcon and I organised for Rob Hulls (Victorian Manufacturing Industry Minister at the time) to ring in and congratulate him and Ford. I let Louise Teesdale know in advance but asked her not to tell Geoff . She reluctantly agreed but was worried that as there was a Victorian election on at that time that both Rob Hulls and I would have to be careful about any mention of politics.

It was not us she should have been worried about, for Geoff launched into an almost paid political broadcast when he praised the Victorian Government's industry and training policy for a full on five minutes. I don't know what was said to him the next day, but I bet it Louise would have been in full flight!

When Geoff left Ford Australia for a posting in Europe I remember that the farewell dinner for him attended by the motoring press was held in the plant at Broadmeadows. Louise had somehow managed to keep this secret from him right up until he walked in the door. How she did it I never found out, but it would have been very hard -- Geoff knew everything was going on around him and at the plant.

His surprise and pleasure at seeing row upon row of tables set up for dinner was genuine, even though he gave Louise a good talking to about the secrecy! Yet being Geoff, he was also humble and made sure that in his speech he thanked everyone for the good times and successes Ford Australia was enjoying. He meant it.

At the dinner the then-Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, asked me to read a tribute note from him to Geoff. It recognised his enormous contribution to the car industry and in particular his support for training and apprenticeship schemes. He was deeply moved by the tribute for what he said was "just doing my job of making the business profitable and sustainable long term".

After leaving Ford Australia Geoff held senior positions at Ford Europe, but his passion was always to be the head of Jaguar and Land Rover. Like everything Geoff put his mind to he achieved this and was like a pig in the proverbial.

Seeing Geoff at international motor shows since then he always made time for a chat and his regular emails were always a pleasure to receive. We didn't always talk about cars, sometimes it was about sport, the economy and his courageous fight against cancer. He was a bloke who just got on with it...

Last year after seeing Geoff in Frankfurt I bought him a hat (albeit a German-styled Fedora!) to keep English winters at bay and as he was conscious of his appearance due to chemotherapy. Geoff always thought of others and the hat deflected and distracted people's attention away from his health.
 
We saw each other at this year's Detroit motor show for the US debut of the Jaguar XF of which he was hugely proud. He was a Ford man, but Jaguar and Land Rover were long-time passions and Geoff was still excited about the job at hand. He saw his role as building the brands, making them stronger, recognising heritage but moving them forward and making them sustainable for the new owners.

It's clichéd, but Geoff was a man's man and following our long session and discourse at Detroit, before I left him on the Land Rover stand he gave me a bear hug.

We saw each other again briefly at an airport a month or so later, but little did I know this would be the last time I'd see my mate and mentor.

The car industry has lost a man of true integrity and honesty. Geoff Polites was an inspiration...

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