Michael Breen steps in as Managing Director for Ford Philippines

Ford Motor Company has announced the appointment of Michael “Mike” Breen as managing director, Ford Philippines, effective June 1. Breen is currently managing director, Ford Asia Pacific Direct Markets (APDM). Breen will relocate to Manila and will report directly to Yukontorn ‘Vickie’ Wisadkosin, president, Ford ASEAN.

In his new role, Breen will be responsible for continuing to drive Ford’s momentum in the Philippines, including sustaining the success of its vehicle lineup and further enhancing the ownership and aftersales experience for Ford customers.

“Mike brings with him a wealth of experience gained from close to three decades of working in Ford markets all over the world. As APDM country lead complemented by his extensive expertise in dealer relations, marketing, and sales operations, I am confident that Mike’s leadership in the Philippines, together with our dealer partners, will help us improve customer experience to further grow the Ford brand in the market,” said Wisadkosin.

In his present role which he assumed in 2019, Breen leads a team that supports distributors across 25 countries working around various product requirements and customer engagement initiatives. Under his leadership as managing director, he supported distributors to grow Ford’s presence in selected markets by introducing new products which led to a 15 percent increase in volume and 5.6 points improvement in market share.

He joined Ford in 1993 as a customer service representative in Ford North America, climbing up the ranks while performing various marketing and sales roles. As Brand Content and Alliance Manager, Breen led the launch and execution of a groundbreaking partnership with Home Shopping Network which helped increase leads and sales as well as improved overall perception of the Ford brand.

In 2016, he was appointed Truck and SUV Launch Manager in Ford Asia Pacific based in Shanghai, China where he facilitated the integration among teams in Marketing Communications, Media Communications, Truck, and various Asia Pacific markets to support the launch of the Ranger Raptor in 2018. In 2018, he moved to Bangkok, Thailand as Marketing Communications Launch Manager, Ford Asia Pacific Operations.

Breen earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Communications from Oakland University in 1991.

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Why we think the Dyson Airstrait fits in anyone’s beauty routine

04/18/2024

When it comes to the holy grail of hair stylers, it’s hard not to think of Dyson. Since the debut of the SuperSonic hair dryer in 2016, Dyson’s range of products, from hair stylers to home cleaners, have remained highly sought after and coveted by many.

The Dyson Airstrait is one of the company’s latest which was first released in the US and Europe, letting the rest of the world wait in anticipation. But the wait is finally over because the Airstrait has finally made its way to Southeast Asia.

Color me happy because I can finally evolve from just watching videos of it to actually trying it out on my hair.

Why all the hype?

What exactly about the Dyson Airstrait gets people excited? Isn’t it just another hair straightener?

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If you want something more detailed, like all its features in specs, you can find that in our earlier post but in essence, the Airstrait is a wet-to-dry, hot plate-less hair straightener whose intention is to cut your prep time down to just 15 minutes. Maybe even less. And in any routine, beauty or otherwise, any time saved is time you can spend doing other things. So how does the Dyson Airstrait help in this aspect?

It simplifies the daily routine

You know Dyson hit the nail on the head when almost everyone has the same answer to the question, “Why do you want it?” The answer: it’s so convenient.

Since, again, this is a wet-to-dry styling tool, you can jump straight to using it after a quick towel-dry of your hair. And unlike using the usual hair dryer + brush combo, all you need is one tool to get the job done. Having tried it out myself, I can say that it’s easy enough to do and, more importantly, probably hard to mess up since it’s a straightforward process.

You’re also not limited to using it with wet hair since there’s also a specific mode for dry hair. There are also pre-set temperatures you can choose from plus, it’s pretty fast. According to the demo they gave us, thinner hair can dry with just one slow pass. Dyson claims that it should take you about 15 minutes or less to dry and style your hair.

Isn’t that convenient?

No plates, no problem

As someone with hair that’s almost too straight and on the thin side, I’ve always been paranoid about damage. I’ve been there, done that with hot tools, and only hit pause when my hair started to look fried. Since the Dyson Airstrait uses hot air, you don’t get that kind of damage and you still get smooth, shiny hair that looks naturally straight. Surprisingly, even when the Airstrait was super close to my roots and scalp, the heat wasn’t at all uncomfortable.

The difference between using the Airstrait and a traditional hot plate straighter can be obvious, especially at the tips of your hair. Normally, hair has a hard, stringy feel when straightening with hot plates but I didn’t see that at all with the Aistrait. Dyson says that there’s no danger in using hair styling or protecting products as well while using it.

Safety first

Apart from being an efficient styling tool, it’s equipped with safety features, too. It might not be as high-tech as the Dyson Nural, but it knows when to tone down the heat when your hair’s in the clamps. It quiets down, cools off, and keeps you safe.

And if you’re the forgetful type, the Auto-Pause feature is a lifesaver. Leave the Airstrait on the table without turning it off?  It’ll chill out and stop until you pick it up again. Plus, the hot air kicks in only when you clamp the device.

Gorgeously Dyson and low maintenance, too.

Who doesn’t love a gadget that’s as pretty as it is practical?

The Airstrait is not just a looker (available in two colorways here in the Philippines) but also a breeze to maintain. There’s a nifty LCD screen to keep tabs on your settings, and cleaning the filter is a piece of cake. Dyson says once a month is recommended, but you do you.

What else?

One of the things you have to know about the Dyson Airstrait is that it’s pretty big. Compared to the Corrale, it’s longer and wider but thankfully much lighter.

And in case you’re wondering, it can’t do curls, sadly. You can probably do waves and you can definitely do a small J- or C-curl. For curls, there’s always the Airwrap.

The Dyson Airstrait is now available in global markets. It’s priced at $499 in the US, £449.99 in the UK, and PhP 33,900 in the Philippines.

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