Henry Wallace has served on the Lear board since February 2005, and most recently served as Lear's presiding director.
DETROIT -- Seating and electronics supplier Lear Corp. said Thursday it appointed director and former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry D.G. Wallace non-executive chairman of the auto parts maker.
The company, which generates nearly half its sales in Europe, said the appointment followed an ongoing board review of its corporate governance practices.
Robert Rossiter, Lear's current chairman, CEO and president, will continue to serve as CEO, president and as a director of Lear.
In a statement, Wallace said the move will “permit Bob Rossiter to dedicate all of his time maintaining the positive operating momentum of the company and continuing to profitably grow Lear's business worldwide."
Wallace worked at Ford for 30 years until his retirement in 2001. At Ford, he was most recently group vice president in charge of Mazda and Ford's Asia-Pacific operations, as well as chief financial officer.
He also serves as a director of AMBAC Financial Group, Inc., Diebold, Inc. and auto parts supplier Hayes Lemmerz International Inc.
Lear ranks No. 15 on the Automotive News Europe list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $9.70 billion in 2009. Europe accounted for 47 percent of that total.