7:45 am, September 2, 2014
NISSAN executive vice president Andy Palmer will be the new CEO of Aston Martin, it’s been revealed.
According to the Financial Times, Brit Andy Palmer is moving to the exotic car maker to help it regain ground it has lost to rivals – namely Ferrari and Bentley.
The Financial Times says Palmer was at the top of Aston Martin’s wish-list for a new CEO as the British car marque faces a ‘make or break’ five years and as the company’s Italian and Kuwaiti owners look to increases sales.
Renault’s Phillipe Klein is all set to take over from Palmer.
Palmer, 51, is widely considered to be the most powerful Brit in the global car industry. He started his career in 1979 aged 16, as an apprentice at Automotive Products Limited (UK). In 1986 he joined Austin Rover to eventually become Transmissions Chief Engineer of Rover Group. Palmer joined Nissan in 1991 and was based in Japan for the past 13 years.
In 2012, he was ranked as number one in Auto Express’s ‘Top 50 Most Influential British People in the Global Automotive Business 2012’ list and was selected to be in the magazine’s Hall of Fame.
A statement from the shareholder board of Aston Martin said: ‘We’re delighted that Andy will join us as our new CEO at this important time at Aston Martin.
‘Andy’s wealth of experience on the global automotive stage in marketing and sales, engineering and technology, and luxury and brand management will be instrumental in taking Aston Martin forward through its most significant and ambitious period of investment to date.’
