Ian joined the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) as CEO in 2015 with over 25 years of automotive experience. During Ian’s tenure the APC has committed well over £1bn investment into zero and low carbon automotive innovation, with the resulting products reducing carbon emissions and providing lasting economic benefits from jobs and inward investment. A key objective has been to bring partners from industry, academia, and government together to spur collaboration and accelerate the delivery of green automotive technology. Ian and the APC team were instrumental in the development, launch and now delivery of the Automotive Transformation Fund announced in 2020.

Before joining the APC Ian was at Ford Motor Company in Detroit where he was Global Chief Engineer for Large Cars and responsible for the development activities for the Ford Mondeo/Fusion and Taurus. In this and prior roles in Europe, Asia and the US Ian has gained deep experience across many elements of automotive product engineering, design, manufacturing and business case development with a very keen focus on future customer needs.

As well as his work at the APC, Ian played a key role in establishing the Faraday Battery Challenge and Driving the Electric Revolution where he is currently a board member for both and is also a director at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). Ian’s ambition is to see a new generation electric vehicle supply chain, at scale, anchored in the UK.

Ian studied engineering at Aston University, has a Masters in Advanced Automotive Engineering from Loughborough University, is a chartered engineer and in 2019 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.