The first project was to revamp the Board, bringing in experienced independent non-executive directors with deep knowledge of the automotive and luxury goods sectors which had previously been lacking, as well as a proven track record in a UK listed environment. A new Company Secretary and Head of Investor Relations were also brought in to strengthen support for the Board.
In parallel, the executive committee and wider leadership team was reconstructed, with high calibre appointees as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, as well as Heads of Compliance, Commercial Law and Corporate & Government Affairs. On the operational side of the business, new Heads of Procurement and Supply Chain were also recruited.
Throughout this phase, executive and non-executive recruitment was supplemented by agile talent solutions to support fast-paced change, including senior interim managers and project consultants in the areas of Finance, Legal, Quality, Purchasing and HR.
With strengthened leadership and a reinvigorated team, Aston Martin began the introduction of a series of new models, including the DBX 707, Valkyrie Hypercar, DB12, and the Valhalla hybrid supercar, that have completely revitalised the brand’s product lineup and taken them into new markets with new customers. The product development engineering and manufacture of these new models was facilitated by the recruitment of senior leaders in Innovation & Advanced Technology, Programme Management and New Vehicle Launch.
At the same time, as the commercial side of the business geared up to support those launches, Savannah led global searches to recruit sales and marketing leaders for critical regional and headquarters roles.
And with one eye already on the next phase of growth, Savannah’s Talent Intelligence team conducted a range of future talent mapping projects covering Electric Vehicle development and next generation engineering and programme leadership positions, with a particular focus on increasing diversity in the context of succession.
By late 2023, with critical new model development programmes well under way, the Board turned its attention to the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. This was to provide succession to former Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, who had joined the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in 2021 and stepped in as CEO in 2022, following the departure of the former incumbent, Tobias Moers.
Savannah led a comprehensive CEO succession process involving confidential mapping and selective engagement with a range of high calibre CEOs from across a spectrum of global industrial markets, including the automotive, aerospace and defence, and diversified engineering and manufacturing sectors. Given the market sensitive nature of information relating to a change of CEO, the entire process was managed under NDA and in strict confidentiality.
On 22 March 2024 it was announced that experienced ultra-luxury automotive leader Adrian Hallmark, former Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, would succeed Amedeo Felisa as the new Chief Executive Officer.
In parallel with the CEO appointment, Savannah was also tasked by Chief People Officer Simon Smith, with conducting a comprehensive future leadership succession mapping programme, in the context of the further business transformation and growth strategy for the business. This resulted in a series of phased appointments over the six months following Adrian Hallmark’s commencement as CEO, including a new Chief Commercial Officer and the newly created role of Chief Transformation Officer.
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