Next phase: Damion Smy joins the PR team at Ford during a critical period for the brand, with the closure of Australian production facilities just around the corner.

FORD Australia has filled a gap in its public relations team with the announcement of former motoring journalist Damion Smy as the company’s new product communications manager.

Mr Smy fills the position vacated earlier this year by former GoAuto and News Limited journalist Neil McDonald, who has since taken the reins as public relations manager at Honda Australia.

Prior to his role with Ford, Mr Smy was a motoring journalist in the United Kingdom and Australia for more than 15 years.

Most recently he was the associate editor at Wheels magazine, a role he held for just over two years, and prior to that he held a similar role with another Bauer Media publication, Car, in the UK.

As well as extensive freelance motoring writing for publications such as Evo, Auto Action and Street Machine, Mr Smy has also written for Motor and Fast Fours in Australia and Auto Express in the UK.

Mr Smy joins the Ford PR team led by communications and public affairs director Wes Sherwood and includes brand communications manager Jasmine Mobarek and veteran press fleet co-ordinator Eddy Sleiman.

After starting in the role in late June, Mr Smy’s first product launch will be the fire-breathing 257kW/440Nm Focus RS hot hatch that starts rolling out this week.

Mr Smy will also likely be involved in activities surrounding the closure of Ford’s Australian manufacturing operations in Geelong and Broadmeadows in October.

Meanwhile, in other industry PR changes, GM Holden has announced that Liz Whiteway has left the car-maker to pursue other interests, ending her brief three-month stint heading up external communications.

A spokesperson for Holden said that a replacement for Ms Whiteway would be announced in due course.

By Tim Nicholson