12:30 pm, March 15, 2021
McLaren Automotive has poached Gareth Dunsmore from Nissan to make him its chief marketing officer.
He joins the British supercar maker from the Japanese brand, where he’s worked since February 2003, rising through the ranks from sales officer to become vice-president of brand and customer experience for the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceana regions – a role he’s held since last October.
Dunsmore will head up global marketing, luxury brand strategy, brand and lifestyle events and the Pure McLaren experiences programme.
He will lead its focus on expanding merchandising, licensing and partnerships too, as well as the customer racing motorsport programme.
Reporting directly to McLaren Automotive chief executive Mike Flewitt after the departure of executive director for sales and marketing Jolyon Nash, Dunsmore will also lead on product strategy.
This will include the move to electrification, after McLaren’s recent unveiling of its new lightweight series production high-performance hybrid supercar the McLaren Artura, as seen below.
Dunsmore said: ‘I’m excited to have joined McLaren, which is regarded as the epitome of modern luxury.
‘Building on those incredibly impressive foundations, I’ll be focusing on rolling out our luxury brand strategy as we move towards an exciting electrified future that delivers exceptional experiences for our customers.’
Flewitt added: ‘I’m delighted to welcome Gareth to McLaren, where he will use his extensive experience and skills to drive forward our luxury brand strategy.
‘Gareth will lead our central and regional marketing teams to create exceptional brand touchpoints and experiences that will delight our customers, partners and fans.’
