People: JLR; Gateley Legal; Wrekin Products

JLR has announced new appointments to its Executive Leadership Team to support the next phase of its development and transformation.

With effect from 21 October 2024, Steve Marsh is appointed Executive Director, Vehicle Programmes, reporting to JLR Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Adrian Mardell. Steve is a highly regarded and experienced global leader and is currently Director of Global Manufacturing Operations, JLR. In an automotive career of 36 years, Steve joined JLR in April 2022 from Nissan where he was SVP, Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Since joining JLR, Steve has overseen an intensive period of transformation across the business’s global manufacturing footprint as JLR readies for electric vehicle production.

Steve Marsh, said: “The transformation of JLR to a global modern luxury automotive manufacturer is well underway and delivering our next generation vehicles to the highest standard – across all touch points – is critical to our ongoing success. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead JLR’s global Vehicle Programmes teams at this once-in-a-generation moment of powertrain and industrial change.”

Swarna Ramanathan is appointed Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to JLR CEO, Adrian Mardell. As Chief Strategy Officer, Swarna will lead JLR’s Strategy Creation, Innovation, Strategic Foresights, Alliances & Collaborations and Product & Customer Experience Strategy teams.

An MBA-graduate and mechanical engineer, Swarna has 20 years’ growth strategy development and implementation experience, working across the automotive, consumer and energy sectors. Swarna joins JLR from McKinsey & Company where she is a Partner and leader in McKinsey’s Centre for Future Mobility.

Swarna Ramanathan, said: “As an experienced and passionate advocate for the automotive, consumer and energy sectors, and a long-term follower of JLR, I am thrilled to be appointed Chief Strategy Officer, JLR, at an important moment in JLR’s transformation to be a global modern luxury automotive leader. I look forward to playing a leading role in the evolution of the business’s Reimagine strategy for continued success.”

With Swarna Ramanathan’s appointment, Andrea Debbane, who joined JLR’s Executive Leadership Team in August 2024, will continue in her role as Chief Sustainability Officer, relinquishing her interim responsibilities for Strategy, and reporting to JLR CEO, Adrian Mardell.

To ensure the effective implementation of its strategy, JLR also announces the appointment of John Beswick to the new role of Chief Transformation and Performance Officer, reporting to JLR CEO, Adrian Mardell. John joins JLR from Great Ormond Street Hospital where he is Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this, John spent two decades at BT Group in transformational change and finance leadership roles, having started his career as a chartered engineer in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

John Beswick, said: “I am delighted to be joining JLR as Chief Transformation and Performance Officer. Working alongside other members of the Executive Leadership Team and colleagues across JLR, my priority will be to lead the implementation of JLR’s strategy throughout the organisation, through seamless team alignment and collaboration.”

Both Swarna Ramanathan and John Beswick’s appointments take effect from 04 November 2024.

Adrian Mardell, Chief Executive Officer, JLR, said: “The transformation of the automotive sector is the greatest change in our industry in a century. Ensuring we have the right leaders, with the qualities and experience to deliver our modern luxury vision in the near-, medium- and long-term will ensure JLR’s future health and prosperity. I offer my warmest congratulations to Steve, Swarna and John on their appointments.”

Head of Gateley Birmingham Rebecca Sherwin (5 th left) with the latest cohort of newly qualified and trainee solicitors.

Gateley Legal has welcomed 11 newly qualified solicitors and trainees to its Birmingham office.

The five newly qualified solicitors, who all completed their legal training with the business, include Drew Wilson (commercial dispute resolution), Sophie Gill (corporate), Emma Birch and Ginny Tan (banking), and Stephanie Hodgetts (employment).

The Birmingham office has also awarded training contracts to Lydia Hyne, Gabriel Weeks, Angela Kumari, Alex Golding, Harrison Worley, and Sophie Lygo. Their arrival brings the total number of trainees in Birmingham to 13.

Rebecca Sherwin, partner and head of the Birmingham office, said: “We are pleased to welcome another stellar cohort of six legal trainees and congratulate our five newly qualified lawyers for their hard work and commitment to each seat they spent time in and the business over the last two years.

“We see these latest appointments as the future of the business, which is why we invest in our excellent legal training and development programme, ensuring we continue to attract and support the next generation of legal talent in the West Midlands.”

These latest hires are part of 22 newly qualified solicitor and 27 legal trainee appointments recently made by Gateley Legal across its UK offices.

John Kiernan, Wrekin Products

Wrekin Products has increased its workforce with the arrival of new product manager, John Kiernan.

As its business pipeline for providing innovative, efficient and sustainable solutions continues to grow, Wrekin’s systems, services and solutions are perfectly positioned to offer substantial savings in a construction market which is experiencing increased pressure. With demands on the construction sector greater than ever, projects with improved technologies will be essential to supporting the reduction in carbon emissions, contributing to net-zero targets.

Wrekin’s innovative solutions offer time, cost and hassle savings to all involved in the process of specifying and installing its civil engineering solutions. As diversifying and providing solutions evolves in parallel to the increasing awareness of environmental sustainability and the changing landscape urging those in the sector to adapt and meet ever increasing targets, Wrekin offers solutions which are at the forefront of innovation.

As Wrekin’s strategy for design and specification continues to evolve, excited about this new opportunity after working across the sector in various roles, John said: “now is the time to increase awareness of Wrekin’s products, while seeking to be at the forefront of providing solutions which really focus on efficiency and sustainability.

“It is our mission to provide joined up thinking across the industry, advising and encouraging users on our high-performance products which make a difference to whole life cost. It is Wrekin’s intention to showcase our smart technologies that make everyday life better, with a sense of something durable, which over time, saves money and increases impact. This role will help promote cohesion across our sales and our solutions teams to maximise impact, removing barriers for product users while reducing carbon.”

Simon Turner, commercial director said: “this appointment demonstrates a continued commitment to driving our user experience, increasing sales, refining our products and producing long-lasting solutions that really make a difference to the sectors operations. Though civil engineering is not typically a green industry, we are at the forefront of developing our technologies to compensate and make a difference, minimising the environmental impact of all our activities.”