Unipart Neighborhood has launched the retirement of its Founder and Executive Chairman, Dr John M. Neill CBE, after an famed profession spanning 5 an extended time.
John Neill’s drag started with Frequent Motors, the place he rapid rose to became the youngest out of the country govt. In 1974, he joined British Leyland, and by 1977, at the age of 29, he had been appointed Managing Director of the British Leyland Facets Division, making him the youngest MD to lead the firm’s most successful commercial. In 1987, John took on the role of Neighborhood Chief Executive at Unipart and later assumed the role of Chairman and Chief Executive in 2012, earlier than turning into Executive Chairman in October 2022. John will retire from his day-to-day tasks and step down as a Board member on 31 August 2024, while continuing to toughen the commercial except the top of November 2024. He’s going to stay Unipart’s largest particular person shareholder.
Since 1974, John has been the cornerstone of Unipart, reworking it into a proud British mission with a world footprint in 21 international locations, with over 12,000 colleagues, and providing an intensive portfolio of products, products and companies, and solutions. Below his management, Unipart reported a £1 billion turnover in 2023, alongside a indispensable amplify in profitability, positioning the firm for persisted development. This Twelve months, Unipart celebrates the 50th anniversary of its brand – a milestone John has been integral in reaching.
John’s unwavering dedication to excellence and innovation is exemplified by “The Unipart System”, a testament to his visionary manner. All around the years, he has introduced a odd mix of imaginative and prescient, abilities, management, and passion to the commercial.
“Working at Unipart has been one of many supreme honours of my existence,” stated John. “The relationships I’ve constructed, the challenges we’ve overcome, and the milestones we’ve finished collectively will frequently withhold a distinct location in my heart. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, commercial companions, and all our stakeholders for their unwavering toughen all over my drag. As we have a truthful time our 50th anniversary, I if truth be told feel that, if I am to impression the most of seeing my grandchildren grow up and forge lasting bonds with them, the window to kind so is now.”
Reflecting on his drag, John remarked, “At some level of the last 50 years, I if truth be told have had the privilege of working with extra special people whose loyalty and dedication have been instrumental in reworking Unipart from its early days as the aspects division of British Leyland. Together, we defied seemingly insurmountable odds. As soon as I joined, the aspects commercial changed into as soon as in terminal decline, and it changed into as soon as clear that nearly all effective radical innovation might perchance well perchance exact our future. We constructed a person brand, created an ‘all makes’ commercial, continuously innovated to lead the commercial, and then in 1987 finished the with regards to now no longer doable – leading a administration and employee buyout of a aspects commercial from a automobile firm – something that had under no conditions been performed any place on this planet earlier than.
“As soon as I started my profession, British Leyland changed into as soon as the sphere’s fifth-largest automobile manufacturer. This present day, Unipart stands as the sole remaining self reliant firm from that generation. I take nice pride in what now we have finished collectively. The loyalty, dedication, and tireless efforts of our folks have sustained this firm for an extended time, and none of us would be here without them.
“On the time of our buyout, the firm confronted a single level of failure, but today time, we operate across extra than one sectors, with diverse clients, serving extra than one technologies, in extra than one geographies. We withhold valued partnerships with blue-chip automobile, technology, and rail companies while rising into aerospace, motorsport, and industrial products and companies. Unipart has remained successful all around the years and is neatly-positioned for persisted development.”
John’s tenure is marked by a huge more than a few of achievements, alongside side the creation of the Unipart brand within the Seventies and Eighties, leading the administration and employee buyout from British Leyland, and establishing Britain’s first company university, the Unipart “U.” He changed into as soon as a pioneer of stakeholder administration within the UK and played a key role within the The next day’s Company inquiry, leading to a talk over with from HRH Prince Philip to witness these suggestions in narrate.
John is on the final notion of as a singular leader amongst Chairmen and C-suite executives for his insight into digital technologies and generative A.I., coupled alongside with his means to tell and leverage these ideas to encourage his colleagues. His visionary manner and steadfast management have now no longer most effective contributed to the event and success of Unipart but have also impressed endless people alongside the manner.
Previous his educated accomplishments at Unipart, John has made indispensable contributions to the broader commercial community. He has been an active member of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a past President of the Society of Motor Producers & Traders (SMMT), and has participated in different govt working groups. He has also served on the Court docket of the Bank of England, and on the Boards of Charter Worldwide plc, Midlands Vitality plc, Rolls-Royce plc, and Royal Mail Holdings plc. In 1994, John changed into as soon as awarded a CBE for his products and companies to commercial. He at the second serves as an Executive Board Member of the SMMT and President of the Car Management Community.
As John embarks on this new chapter, he looks forward to spending beyond regular time alongside with his household, taking on extra non-govt roles, and continuing his toughen for rather a pair of external organisations, moreover to his mentoring commitments. The firm has also requested that he continue as the Chair of Unipart’s RBS Pension Trustee Board, a job he has agreed to fulfil.
Dr Bryan Jackson, Senior Honest Director, shared that John first educated him of his plan to retire in May. Since then, the firm has been working to be sure that there will seemingly be a comfy transition over six months to November. A indispensable swap will happen on 1 September, with the creation of a brand new role of Non-Executive Chair, which might perchance well perchance perchance be the realm of a separate announcement.
Bryan Jackson stated, “In all honesty, it might perchance possibly perchance perchance be incredibly sophisticated to change John’s role as Executive Chairman. Simply set, how kind you narrate somebody who has devoted a lifetime to creating an iconic British firm with its odd spirit?
“On behalf of the Board, our colleagues, clients, and the endless others who have benefitted from being a part of Unipart, phrases can now no longer fully speak our gratitude for every thing John has performed to construct Unipart into the extra special, diversified organisation it’s today time. His dedication to excellence, innovation, and exact development leaves us with a commercial that positively impacts its folks, clients, shareholders, and stakeholders. I ogle forward to celebrating John’s legacy and achievements and making sure we continue to construct on Unipart’s strengths as we grow within the ruin.”
