Many RSS fellows are saddened to hear of the death of Richard Parry-Jones, the former vice president of global product development at Ford Motor Company who was also an RSS Honorary Fellow.
Responsible for product development for Ford vehicles worldwide, Richard Parry-Jones was famous for influencing the designs of some of the car manufacturer’s most successful models, including the Mondeo, Focus, Ka and Puma in Europe, and many other vehicles worldwide. In a statement for Ford, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said that Richard was ‘a rare talent who left an indelible mark on Ford and the industry’.
Richard was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society in 2004 in recognition of his pioneering work in the application of statistical methods to automobile engineering. He was also a fellow of the Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and was appointed a CBE in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to the automobile industry.
RSS fellow Tim Davis, who worked with Richard closely during his time with Ford, said: 'Quite simply, Richard was an inspirational leader and it was my good fortune that he came across me early in my career, and provided the strategic direction for me to get statistical science embedded in day-to-day engineering practice at Ford. We continued to collaborate after our time at Ford and his loss is keenly felt.'
A full obituary will be published in a forthcoming edition of our Series A journal.