Why did you become involved with the Walpole x Regent's Professorship?
As we enter our second decade as a luxury supercar maker we’re thrilled to have re-joined Walpole at such a critical juncture for the luxury sector and, indeed, the automotive industry.
Not only do we have to think about rapid technological change in the coming years but also changes in the societal mood among customers, fans and our current and future employees.
Having a diverse future talent pipeline, from a mix of backgrounds, is absolutely critical to getting the product mix, attributes and positioning right for our customers.
I’m looking forward to exploring those challenges with the students, some of whom will be potential customers of the future.
What insights and experience will you share with students as the luxury leaders of tomorrow?
I started out building cars myself at the Ford plant in Liverpool so my belief is that there is no substitute for first-hand experience and learning the basics first.
That experience will not only stand you in good stead for the rest of your career but also prove to yourself - and crucially to others around you - that you have the passion as well as the theoretical skills and knowledge for whatever path you choose.
If you like motorsport, go and volunteer and get involved. At the end of the day you can teach skills but you can’t teach passion.
Looking ahead to British Luxury in 2030, what skills and qualities will we most need to cultivate in our talent pipeline?
We need a diverse range of skills and talents in our company and I think that’s true of the luxury sector in general.
For example, when we opened our McLaren Composites Technology Centre in 2018 in South Yorkshire - where we innovate and create our ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chassis that will help take us towards our electrified future - we knew we needed a whole set of different skills. Essentially, our cars start out as a fabric in the form of a carbon fibre weave.
So we were looking for skills you’d traditionally associate with dressmakers and pattern makers from the textiles industry to help. Blend that with mechanical engineering experience and then add in new skills in electrification and you get a sense of the challenge we face in our area of luxury. We can take educated bets – as do Government – on where that technology will end up and, therefore, what skills are needed. However, they are just that: bets. So overall we must be flexible and able to pivot.
I think the pandemic was a great demonstration of that at McLaren when almost overnight we went from producing supercars to designing, building and even crash testing ventilator trolleys plus test boxes and components for the NHS. So we are confident we can do it and continue to adapt to a changing landscape.
What do you see as the medium- or longer-term challenges and opportunities ahead for the business?
Aside from the changing technology roadmap I’ve mentioned, it’s how do we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with a socially-responsible, sustainable business strategy.
That’s not just on a technology level but has to do with the whole experience of buying a supercar, personalising it and making it unique and special. That also extends to after purchase too and being able to be part of the McLaren family - whether that’s track days or virtual events.
We have an in-house bespoke division, McLaren Special Operations, which leads this area and we work with our customers on a very deep level over many months to refine their car and to try and surpass what they had in mind when they first approached us.
Increasingly we work with brands like fellow Walpole member Harrods or our partners at Gulf Oil, each with their iconic colours, to provide unique liveries; or maisons such as Hermès for one-off commissions.
I see these collaborations as an increasing area of opportunity for our business, challenging us to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table to excite our customers and, indeed, to bring us to entirely new audiences.
