Ford hires an industry veteran to save its China business

The company said in a statement Wednesday that it had appointed industry veteran Anning Chen to run its operations in China, where sales have plunged in recent months. The position had been vacant since the start of the year, when Ford’s (F) former China CEO quit abruptly.

Chen was previously CEO of Chery Automobile, a Chinese state-owned company, and chairman of Chery Jaguar Land Rover, a joint venture with the British automaker. He also worked at Ford earlier in his 25-year career.