Unipart Team of workers has announced the retirement of its Founder and Executive Chairman, Dr John M. Neill CBE, after an neatly-known occupation spanning 5 decades.
John Neill’s promenade started with Overall Motors, where he hasty rose to turn out to be the youngest in a single other country executive. In 1974, he joined British Leyland, and by 1977, on the age of 29, he had been appointed Managing Director of the British Leyland Substances Division, making him the youngest MD to e book the corporate’s most worthwhile alternate. In 1987, John took on the role of Team of workers Chief Executive at Unipart and later assumed the space of Chairman and Chief Executive in 2012, sooner than changing 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 make stronger the alternate till the pause of November 2024. He’s going to remain Unipart’s largest particular person shareholder.
Since 1974, John has been the cornerstone of Unipart, reworking it right into a proud British endeavor with a world footprint in 21 countries, with over 12,000 colleagues, and offering an intensive portfolio of products, services, and alternate solutions. Beneath his management, Unipart reported a £1 billion turnover in 2023, alongside a big form bigger in profitability, positioning the corporate for endured impart. This year, Unipart celebrates the 50th anniversary of its mark – a milestone John has been integral in reaching.
John’s unwavering dedication to excellence and innovation is exemplified by “The Unipart Manner”, a testament to his visionary approach. Within the center of the years, he has introduced a utterly different mix of vision, journey, management, and fervour to the alternate.
“Working at Unipart has been one of many absolute best honours of my lifestyles,” said John. “The relationships I’ve constructed, the challenges we’ve overcome, and the milestones we’ve completed together will regularly preserve a utterly different dwelling in my coronary heart. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, alternate companions, and all our stakeholders for their unwavering make stronger in the end of my promenade. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I personal that, if I am to form the most of seeing my grandchildren develop up and forge lasting bonds with them, the window to construct so is now.”
Reflecting on his promenade, John remarked, “Over the previous 50 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with out of the ordinary other folk whose loyalty and dedication had been instrumental in reworking Unipart from its early days because the ingredients division of British Leyland. Collectively, we defied apparently insurmountable odds. After I joined, the ingredients alternate used to be in terminal decline, and it used to be clear that easiest radical innovation might maybe maybe presumably stable our future. We constructed a person mark, created an ‘all makes’ alternate, repeatedly innovated to e book the alternate, and then in 1987 completed the virtually very unlikely – leading a management and employee buyout of a ingredients alternate from a vehicle company – one thing that had never been accomplished any place on this planet sooner than.
“After I started my occupation, British Leyland used to be the enviornment’s fifth-largest automotive producer. On the present time, Unipart stands because the sole remaining neutral company from that period. I rob immense appreciate what we have now completed together. The loyalty, dedication, and tireless efforts of our other folk have sustained this company for a long time, and none of us would be here with out them.
“On the time of our buyout, the corporate confronted a single point of failure, however nowadays, we purpose across a pair of sectors, with diverse potentialities, serving a pair of technologies, in a pair of geographies. We preserve valued partnerships with blue-chip automotive, expertise, and rail companies while expanding into aerospace, motorsport, and industrial services. Unipart has remained worthwhile in the end of the years and is neatly-positioned for endured impart.”
John’s tenure is marked by loads of achievements, including the creation of the Unipart mark within the Seventies and 1980s, leading the management and employee buyout from British Leyland, and establishing Britain’s first corporate college, the Unipart “U.” He used to be a pioneer of stakeholder management within the UK and conducted a key role within the The following day’s Firm inquiry, ensuing in a search the advice of with from HRH Prince Philip to have a study these suggestions in observe.
John is once in a while regarded as a novel leader amongst Chairmen and C-suite executives for his perception into digital technologies and generative A.I., coupled with his ability to insist and leverage these ideas to inspire his colleagues. His visionary approach and steadfast management haven’t any longer easiest contributed to the impart and success of Unipart however have additionally impressed limitless other folk along the approach.
Past his expert accomplishments at Unipart, John has made indispensable contributions to the broader alternate neighborhood. He has been an brisk member of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a previous President of the Society of Motor Producers & Traders (SMMT), and has participated in different authorities working groups. He has additionally served on the Court of the Bank of England, and on the Boards of Structure World plc, Midlands Vitality plc, Rolls-Royce plc, and Royal Mail Holdings plc. In 1994, John used to be awarded a CBE for his services to alternate. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member of the SMMT and President of the Automobile Management Community.
As John embarks on this fresh chapter, he looks forward to spending extra time with his household, taking over extra non-executive roles, and continuing his make stronger for utterly different external organisations, as neatly as his mentoring commitments. The corporate has additionally requested that he continue because the Chair of Unipart’s RBS Pension Trustee Board, a job he has agreed to fulfil.
Dr Bryan Jackson, Senior Independent Director, shared that John first advised him of his contrivance to retire in Also can. Since then, the corporate has been working to be definite there shall be a refined transition over six months to November. A indispensable alternate will happen on 1 September, with the creation of a fresh space of Non-Executive Chair, which is ready to be the subject of a separate announcement.
Bryan Jackson said, “In all honesty, it’d be extremely sophisticated to substitute John’s role as Executive Chairman. Merely place, how build you practice someone who has dedicated a lifetime to creating an iconic British company with its modern spirit?
“On behalf of the Board, our colleagues, potentialities, and the limitless others who have benefitted from being share of Unipart, phrases can no longer completely particular our gratitude for every thing John has accomplished to form Unipart into the solid, a amount of organisation it’s nowadays. His dedication to excellence, innovation, and real development leaves us with a alternate that positively impacts its other folk, potentialities, shareholders, and stakeholders. I stare forward to celebrating John’s legacy and achievements and making sure we continue to form on Unipart’s strengths as we develop within the lengthy promenade.”
