9:14 am, October 17, 2024
JLR has announced three new appointments to its senior leadership team, which it says will help it face transformation in the automotive sector.
Effective next week (Oct 21), Steve Marsh takes on the role of executive director of vehicle programmes, reporting directly to JLR CEO, Adrian Mardell.
Marsh is currently serving as JLR’s director of global manufacturing operations, having joined the company from Nissan, where he was senior vice president of manufacturing and supply chain, in April 2022. He has over 36 years’ automotive industry experience.
Meanwhile, Swarna Ramanathan assumes the role of chief strategy officer, also reporting to Mardell. Her role will be to lead JLR’s strategy creation, innovation, strategic foresights, alliances & collaborations and product & customer experience strategy teams.
An MBA-graduate and mechanical engineer, Ramanathan has 20 years’ growth strategy development and implementation experience, working across the automotive, consumer and energy sectors. She joins JLR from McKinsey & Company where she is a partner in McKinsey’s Centre for Future Mobility.
Her appointment allows chief sustainability officer, Andrea Debbane, to return to her role having covered the strategy since August 2024.
Also joining the company is John Beswick, who has been appointed to the new role of chief transformation and performance officer, reporting to Mardell.
He joins JLR from Great Ormond Street Hospital where he is currently CFO. He was previously in senior finance leadership roles at BT and prior to that worked in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
Both Ramanathan and Beswick’s appointments take effect from 04 November 2024.
Confirming the appointments, CEO Mardell said: ‘The transformation of the automotive sector is the greatest change in our industry in a century.
‘Ensuring we have the right leaders, with the qualities and experience to deliver our modern luxury vision in the near, medium and long-term will ensure JLR’s future health and prosperity.
‘I offer my warmest congratulations to Steve, Swarna and John on their appointments.’
