Senior JLR and Chiltern management join advisory board of Aston Business School
SENIOR management representatives from Jaguar Land Rover and Chiltern Railways have joined the advisory board of Aston Business School.
Mike Wright, Executive Director, JLR, will chair the board and he is joined by Rob Brighouse, Managing Director at Chiltern Railways.
The appointments are apt as both men are former graduates of the university – Rob Brighouse completed his MBA degree in 1989, and Mike Wright completed his BSc Communications Science and Linguistics in 1975.
The Advisory Board consists of Senior Executives from organisations across the globe. They advise on strategic and significant operational matters, and provide a crucial link between the business school and the business community. Several also act as mentors to students through the Aston University Professional Mentoring Scheme.
Mr Wright began his career in the automotive industry at Rover Triumph in 1975. He has held a variety of senior sales and marketing positions in a number of international markets – including four years in Germany – working at different times for Rover, Land Rover, Jaguar and Jaguar Land Rover.
He took up the position of Executive Director, Jaguar Land Rover in December 2010. He also represents Jaguar Land Rover on the CBI West Midlands Council and sits on the board of EEF.
Mr Brighouse has more than 30 years of rail industry experience. He spent nine years in Australia and then Hong Kong where he was responsible for a major route upgrade. In 2000 he joined Chiltern Railways as the Projects Director and led the Chiltern Railways’ major investment programme. He went on to mobilise London Overground and became Deputy Managing Director in 2007. He returned to Chiltern Railways in 2011 when he was appointed the Managing Director.
Professor Nigel Driffield, Executive Dean of Aston Business School said: “I am thrilled to have Mike Wright and Rob Brighouse joining the Advisory Board and advising us on achieving our Aston 2020 strategy. Their input will be invaluable to the future development of Aston Business School. It is great to have two Aston alumni who have done so well in their career to come back and advise us.”
Mr Wright said; “Chairing the Aston Business School Advisory Board sounds like an excellent opportunity to give back to the university I am graduated from and to further develop the relationship between Jaguar Land Rover and Aston University.”
Mr Brighouse added: “I am delighted to be invited as the Advisory Board member of Aston Business School and it is brilliant to support the university where I studied my MBA degree. The business knowledge Aston taught me was great for my career, as I was previously trained as an engineer. As Chiltern Railways is a key transport provider of the West Midlands, it is fantastic to build a stronger relationship with an excellent West Midlands institution like Aston.”
