Wednesday 1 October 2014

Palmer heads up Aston Martin

Andy Palmer is the new chief executive officer of Aston Martin. He has spent the last 24 years with Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK where latterly he has been chief planning officer and executive vice president.

Palmer, 51, assumes operational responsibility for all aspects of Aston Martin business and thus one of his prime interests no doubt will be to turn the company round and put it on a long-term profitable footing.

He succeeds Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston’s chief executive officer for the past 14 years, during which time he allocated production of the Rapide to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria only to see production later transferred back to the UK. Magna Steyr is a subsidiary of the Canadian automotive supplier Magna International.

Palmer joined Automotive Products Ltd in Leamington Spa as a 16 years-old apprentice, and after seven years joined Austin Morris to eventually become chief engineer of transmissions. In 2008 he obtained a PhD from Cranfield University, having previously obtained an MSc in product engineering from Warwick University.

In 2012, Palmer was named the automotive industry’s most influential British executive by Auto Express and in 2013, the world’s third most influential chief marketing officer by the CMO Influence Study, conducted by Appinions marketing firm for Forbes magazine. In the 2014 New Year Honours, Palmer was appointed Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) for services to the automotive industry.

With such a glowing set of credentials, much will be expected of Mr. Palmer as the ‘turnaround man’.




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