Michael Sprague, a former Ford marketing executive, has left his role as chief operating officer of Kia Motors America after nearly a decade with the Korean automaker.

Sprague, who joined Kia in August of 2008, will leave in April 17. No successor has been appointed. The 52-year-old Sprague had received a series of appointments that elevated his profile. He has been Kia's COO since 2015.

While he was at Kia, Sprague launched several new vehicles, including the Kia Soul, Niro, and Stinger.

Before joining Kia, Sprague spent 12 years in various marketing roles at Ford. When he left in July of 2008, he was the group marketing manager for the Lincoln Mercury division. Prior to that, he was Ford's corporate brand strategy manager. In that role, he helped differentiate Ford's various brands at that time.