Bentley appoints new manufacturing director
1 min read
Bentley Motors today (24 January) announced the appointment of Michael Straughan (49) as its new Board Member for Manufacturing. He will start the job on 7 February and will succeed Doug Dickson, who will be taking responsibility for a number of strategic projects prior to his retirement from the business later in the year.
Straughan (pictured) joins the VW-owned company from Jaguar Land Rover where he was operations director for the Halewood plant. In a career that has also included spells at Nissan, Volvo and LDV, he has extensive experience in a number of manufacturing plants both in the UK and abroad. Roles have included operations, material planning and logistics, manufacturing engineering as well as a variety of specific processes. He has extensive experience in lean manufacturing, new product introduction and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He has also been very active in the wider business environment as a Board Member of both the Liverpool and Knowsley Economy Boards as well as Chairman of the North West Automotive Alliance.
As a member of the main Bentley Board, Straughan will report directly to the new Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Dürheimer, who succeeds Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen on 1 February. Speaking about the appointment, Dr Paefgen said: "We have been looking for a successor to Doug for some time and firmly believe we have got the right man for the job."
Straughan will direct all the company's manufacturing operations including production, planning, logistics, lean operations and general plant operations.
