LONDON — Aston Martin has strengthened its board with the addition of ex-Ford Motor Co. global product chief Richard Parry-Jones and former McLaren CEO Antony Sheriff, the company said in a regulatory filing.
The company also appointed to the board Anne Stevens, a former Ford executive and ex-board member of British supplier GKN, and Daimler’s Stephan Unger, who will represent Daimler after the German automaker said in October that it will increase its stake in Aston Martin to 20 percent.
The appointment of the high-profile auto executives adds “great value” to Aston Martin, chairman and largest shareholder Lawrence Stroll said in a statement.
“This is a very important time for the company as we start to execute our plans to enable Aston Martin to become one of the preeminent luxury car brands in the world,” he said.
All the appointments are non-executive positions and are effective Feb. 1.
Richard Parry-Jones remains a key figure in the British auto industry after leaving his Ford position in 2007. He kept in touch with automotive world by joining GKN as non-executive board member in 2008 and via his own consultancy business. He is also part-time chairman of the board for UK dealer group Marshall Motor Holdings.
Antony Sheriff helped to establish the road-car making arm of McLaren after moving to the company from Fiat in 2003. He then moved to Princess Yachts, where he remains executive chairman and CEO.
Anne Stevens is an engineer who rose at Ford to the position of chief operating officer of the Americas, quitting the company in 2006. Stevens was twice picked as one of Automotive News Leading Women, in 2000 and 2005. In 2016, Stevens joined the GKN board. She was briefly CEO during the hostile takeover by Melrose in 2018, before retiring.
Stephan Unger is Daimler board member responsible for finance and controlling and risk management of Daimler Mobility, a position he has held since 2012.
Aston Martin was rescued by Stroll early last year after the company got into financial difficulties. The Canadian businessman has helped secure much needed finance for the company and has set a production target volume of 9,000 to 10,000 vehicles a year, revenues of about 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion); and an adjusted core profit of 500 million pounds by financial years 2024 or 2025.
