Ford Otosan General Manager Otay dies of heart attack

Otay assumed his position at Ford Otosan, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding A.Ş., in March 2010, taking over from former General Manager Mike Flewitt. He had been working on plans for a third plant in Kocaeli province, to be used for the production of new models. One of his other priorities was to export Ford Otosan models to the United States. Otay also focused on increasing employment opportunities by trying to expand the current Ford Otosan model lineup. He paid particular attention to research and development in the development of new models. Otay was one of the major supporters of a plan to produce a domestic car since the idea surfaced at the end of last year.

Otay was born in southern province of Adana but completed his high school education at the İstanbul Erkek Lisesi in İstanbul. He attended the prestigious Boğaziçi University and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. Otay has been active in the Turkish automotive sector for years. He started working at Ford Otosan in 1983 and has held various positions until becoming the first factory manager of the Kocaeli-based Ford Otosan plant in 2000. Between 2007 and 2008 he worked as factory manager of the Ford of Europe GmbH plant in Cologne. He was later appointed vice general manager of Ford Otosan and in 2010 became general manager.