Two big succession stories dominated the headlines Thursday morning, and they couldn't be more different to CNBC's Jim Cramer.
Ford Motor tapped a long-time employee, Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields, to succeed CEO Alan Mulally. The choice had been telegraphed for months. Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell and KFC, also designated a new chief executive, Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed, effective next year.
On "Squawk on the Street," Cramer called the Yum move a "shocker," but said he likes Ford's choice even though Fields didn't fit the normal CEO mold at the automaker.
"A Jersey guy—he's so different from the pattern, but so ingrained in the company," Cramer said. "He's been very involved in the marketing part of the turnaround, in other words the positioning. He's kind of an old hand, [but] a young guy. I like Fields. Let's see what he does."
Read MoreFord names Mark Fields CEO, succeeding Alan Mulally
Cramer said Latin America remains a "black hole" for Ford, and losses in its European market only just stabilized.
"The stock has to move," Cramer said. "It's been flat-lined at $15 for a while, not that it's a 'what-have-you-done-for-me-lately' business. ... Ford is in good hands. Is it my favorite stock? It's OK. There're other companies doing better."
Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of General Motors but doesn't have Ford holdings.
On Yum, Cramer said he thought the fast-food restaurant company would keep CEO David Novak around until business picked up in China.
Read MoreYum Brands names Creed as next CEO
"I'm surprised," Cramer said. "David Novak is a terrific CEO, They stumbled on China and they've gotten that back together, ... not what I was looking for though."
Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Yum.
—By CNBC's Jeff Morganteen.