06 March 2020
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PROF Sir Ralf Speth has decided to retire from his current role as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of JLR at the end of his contract term in September 2020.
Despite stepping down from his current role he has agreed to maintain his relationship with JLR by becoming non-executive Vice Chairman, and will also remain on the board of Tata Sons.
Speth has overseen a remarkable turnaround of the business, with increased sales, over 8000 jobs created and high-profile launches, and much of this success is attributed to his insistence on a design focus in every aspect of the company’s approach. “I’m talking about how we design all our processes, how we design the research and manufacturing, how we design the training, the recruitment plans, the personal skills. And how we design our relationships with dealers and ultimately with our customers.”
Following a degree in Economics Engineering from Rosenheim University, Germany, he earned a Doctorate of Engineering. He is also an Industrial Professor at the University of Warwick.
Dr Speth worked as a business consultant for a number of years before joining BMW in 1980. After 20 years, he moved to Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group as Director of Production, Quality and Product Planning. His last job at BMW was Vice President of Land Rover when BMW owned the brand.
He then became director of production, quality and planning for Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG) when BMW sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. He was Head of Global Operations at the German international industrial gases and engineering company Linde Group, before moving to JLR.
Speth went on to say: “I feel very honoured to have worked with so many dedicated and creative people. We have elevated Jaguar and Land Rover. I want to say thank you for all their support and commitment.”
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