JCB announces new Chief Executive Officer

STAFFORDSHIRE excavator manufacturer JCB has announced a successor to its Chief Executive Officer Alan Blake who is set to retire.

Graeme Macdonald, who is Chief Executive Officer Designate, will take over the reins at the Rocester head office at the end of the year when Blake departs.

Macdonald, 45, has held a variety of senior roles during his 16 years at JCB and was latterly the company’s Chief Operating Officer. He was previously managing director of the company’s Backhoe Loader Business Unit, based at Rocester and also held the position of President of JCB Inc, based at JCB’s North American headquarters in Savannah, Georgia.

Blake, 63, joined JCB in 1989 and became CEO in 2010 after holding a number of senior positions in the company and after leading the biggest production expansion in JCB’s history.

Since his appointment as CEO, Blake has presided over the company’s return to sales and production growth against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty around the world. He will remain as a Senior Advisor and board member of the company.