Richard Parry-Jones dies at the age of 69 16 Apr 2021 Richard Parry-Jones, former Group Vice-President-Global Product Development, Chief Technical Officer and Head of Global R&D Operations at Ford, has died at the age of 69. Born in Bangor, North Wales, RPJ, as he became known, joined Ford as an undergraduate trainee in 1969, going on to earn a first-class honours degree in mechanical engineering from Salford University. From the mid-nineties, Parry-Jones led the development teams responsible for some of the greatest cars in Ford’s history, including the original Ford Mondeo and Focus, the Ka and the Puma. Parry-Jones’ focus on a car’s dynamics won an army of fans from enthusiasts to car buyers, lifting Ford’s reputation for building great driving cars to a new level that still stands true today.