“I think I was born for this role." It's not the answer new JLR CEO Adrian Mardell would have expected of himself had he been asked before getting the job whether the role was for him.
For the CEO position is one Mardell, speaking to Autocar just three weeks after he was confirmed full-time in the role he had held on an interim basis since Thierry Bolloré's sudden departure late last year, "never had any expectation or anticipation" for previously. But once given the hands-on experience, he realised it was the job he'd been waiting for all along.
While Mardell now feels he was born for the role, his experience has certainly helped shape him for it. He was promoted to CEO from the job of chief financial officer, one of 19 largely finance roles at JLR in the "32 years, nine months and four days" he has worked here. He precisely quotes the figure on more than one occasion.
In that time, which saw him start as an apprentice, he has got to know "thousands of people who care for me as I care for them, and trust me as I trust them". That accumulation of faith will be vital if Mardell is to engage and bring with him the hearts, minds, talents and expertise of the 38,000 people working for JLR at a time when the company is changing like never before.
Indeed, it had only recently been at its lowest ebb, cutting 4500 jobs in 2019 and trying to cut £2.5 billion in costs even before anything like Covid or the chip shortage hit the business. But Mardell is clearly popular among JLR staff: he had more than 1000 messages of congratulations upon getting the top job, and he sent a reply to each one over the next four days.
This story is from the August 16, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 16, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal