Simon Tait

About Simon Tait

I’ve been in the business of \"making it make sense\" since 2006. From my early days managing a 40-page print magazine to my current role leading a global team at Ford, I’ve learned that storytelling is the most powerful tool we have for driving alignment and retention.Today, I lead the Talent Development and Communications team for Ford’s Global Data Insights & Analytics (GDIA) organization. In this role, I manage a cross-functional team of seven professionals across L&D and Comms to solve a specific challenge: how do we ensure our technical strategy is understood, and our niche talent is empowered to stay and grow?I see myself as a \"strategic bridge.\" Whether I’m helping AI experts translate their value to the business or building global onboarding frameworks that scale from Michigan to Chennai, my focus is on removing the organizational \"noise\" that slows people down.What I bring to the table:Multidisciplinary Leadership: Integrating L&D, Communications, and Talent Development to create a seamless and high-impact employee experience.Global Perspective: A career spanning energy, tech, and life sciences, with experience leading teams and campaigns from Kazakhstan to California.Narrative-Driven Results: • Boosted onboarding satisfaction to 92% through human-centric, resonant messaging.• Drove 35% and 30% YoY engagement lifts for global sales and engineering teams through smarter timing and stronger amplification.• Increased intranet readership by 150% by leading a global editorial strategy rooted in precision and measurement.I’m a curious, empathy-rooted leader who believes that the best organizations are the ones where every employee knows exactly how their work contributes to the bigger story.If you\'re interested in how communication and talent strategy can transform organizational culture, I’d love to chat.Specialties:Storytelling | Internal & Exec Comms | Corporate Comms | Change Management | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Media Relations | Channel Management | Talent Development and Training | Feedback Loops | Global Campaigns | Events | Video Production

Experience

1. Talent Development and Communications Supervisor

   Ford Motor Company

   Aug 2025 — Present · Dearborn, MI, US

   I oversee Talent Development and Communications for Global Data Insight & Analytics at Ford. My job is to make sure that in a fast-moving technical organization, our people feel supported, informed, and connected to the bigger picture.I manage a team of seven specialists as well as external agency partners, focusing on the end-to-end experience of our technical talent.What I do:Strategic Communication: I help technical teams translate their work into a language that the rest of the business understands and values.Global Consistency: I look for what’s working in one region and scale it globally to save time and prevent teams from having to start from scratch.Career Pathways: I oversee the design of training and development frameworks that help our data and AI experts grow their skills and stay with the company long-term.Operational Leadership: I manage the intake and execution of high-volume requests, ensuring my team stays focused on the projects that drive the most value.Ultimately, I work to create an environment where our technical experts can thrive, stay engaged, and focus on solving the company\'s most important data challenges.

Education

• Robert Gordon University

  Bachelor's Degree, Publishing

  1997 — 2000

Skills

• Television Programming
• Press Releases
• Technical Writing
• Crisis Management
• Leadership
• Advocacy
• Training
• Crisis Communications
• Editing
• Executive-Level Communication
• News Writing
• Policy
• Copy Editing
• Copywriting
• Management
• Publications
• Editorial
• Media Skills Training
• Speech Writing
• Social Media
• Public Affairs
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations