Ciarán McMahon, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, has been named Business Person of the Month by Newstalk's Down to Business show.

Presenter of the Down to Business show, Bobby Kerr, said: "Myself and the other judges of the Business Person of the Month award were very impressed with the recently launched 'Unlearn Ford' campaign with its aim to make consumers think differently about Ford and its vehicles. It has certainly made us look at the brand differently and we commend Ciarán and his team for the initiative".

The Business Person of the Month judging panel particularly cited Ford's novel approach through the campaign in appealing to a new type of consumer who may not have considered Ford in the past. The 'Unlearn Ford' campaign was launched by Ford in April of this year and is part of a new repositioning of the company's brand which takes a surprising look at the familiar and shows just how far we can progress if we're prepared to let go of limiting beliefs.

The aim of the brand repositioning is to drive reappraisal of Ford as a brand while at the same time demonstrating its commitment to innovation and progress to meet Ireland's changing needs when it comes to automotive mobility.

"I am delighted to receive the Business Person of the Month accolade - it is a great recognition of our team effort in launching the 'Unlearn Ford' campaign"; said Mr. McMahon. "The new Ford positioning is about taking a fresh look at the familiar and anyone who takes a fresh look at Ford may be surprised by what they find".

"We started 2016 eagerly awaiting the first Mustang to reach the first Irish customer, and the new year prompted me to make a resolution - to do all I could to encourage our customers to forget their preconceptions about Ford and embrace the brand, which is why we launched our ground-breaking 'Unlearn Ford' campaign. Our new brand approach has shown people who have perhaps stopped loving Ford that we have the vehicle they want - from the Le Mans winning GT, through Mustang, Edge, Mondeo Vignale, S-MAX Vignale and now the ST-Line range".

The Down to Business Business Person of the Month title is awarded to a business leader in Ireland who shows innovation and ingenuity in tackling their everyday operational challenges. Recent Business Person of the Month recipients have included: Domhnal Slattery of aircraft leasing company, Avolon; Henry Beeby of Goffs; and Brody Sweeney of Camille Thai.

The Down to Business show airs Saturday mornings 10-12 noon on Newstalk.