The judges - Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award 2010
Steve Cropley
Editor-in-chief
Autocar
Steve Cropley has been testing and writing about cars for nearly 40 years, half of that time at Autocar, the original car magazine. He began working in journalism on the Adelaide Advertiser as a cadet in 1967, came to the UK to join the staff of Car magazine in 1978, and became editor in 1981. In 1989 he launched his own magazine, Buying Cars, which was bought two years later by Haymarket Media Group, where he has worked "very happily" ever since. He says he is as much in love with cars - and the industry that makes them - as he was on day one. His regular 'A week in cars' column is avidly read and has been a staple part of the magazine for two decades. Steve feels as at home in a thunderous supercar as he does in a practical runabout. Indeed, his £168,000 Mercedes SLS AMG long-term test car is about to give way to a £20,000 SsangYong Korando 4x4 for a six-month review…
When Steve isn’t testing or writing about cars, he’s competing in them – as his regular hillclimb outings attest.
Kevin Gaskell
Chairman
Courland Automotive Practice
Kevin Gaskell was appointed Managing Director of Porsche GB at the age of 32. In 5 years his team rebuilt the brand and turned a business close to bankruptcy into the UK’s most profitable car company. He moved to BMW as UK Managing Director where he led the company to 4 years of record growth and a 500% increase in profitability. He was recognised as one of the ‘top 40 leaders under 40’ in the UK. In 2000 he left BMW to found a dotcom, epyx Limited. Quickly becoming the market leader for automotive e-commerce solutions, the company was sold to a private investor in 2008. From 2001 – 2007 he was also CEO of EurotaxGlass’s in Switzerland (owner of UK’s Glass’s Guide). He now acts as Chairman to a number of growing companies, one of which won the 2010 ‘UK FastTrack Award’ as the best private equity investment of the year. He has played international cricket but now relaxes by playing in a rock band. He celebrated his 40th birthday climbing on Mount Everest and with his 21 year old son has walked to both the North and South Poles.
Paul Everitt
Chief Executive
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
Paul Everitt has been chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders since January 2008. Paul was previously director of Civil Air Transport and Communications at the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) where he had specific responsibility for environmental and safety issues. Previously, Paul was deputy director of the British Road Federation.
Dick Glover
Director of Research
McLaren Automotive
Dick joined McLaren Racing from Shell where he formulated championship winning F1 fuels for McLaren before moving to Japan as Senior Technical Advisor to Showa Shell Sekiyu. He spent 12 years at McLaren Racing running R&D activities with focus on developing advanced vehicle dynamics simulation capability in the role of Head of Simulation, before moving to McLaren Automotive in January 2007. Having led the McLaren Automotive engineering team since 2007, Dick now moves to a new role at McLaren Automotive as Director of Research. He will lead the development of new technologies, materials and production processes that will keep McLaren’s road cars at the pinnacle of the sports car market and the cutting-edge of vehicle design.
Rachael Edwards
Senior HR Business Partner
Mercedes-Benz Retail Group
Rachael holds a BA (Hons) in Human Resource Management and a CIPD Qualification. Having spent all of her career in retail HR, she joined Mercedes-Benz UK in early 2009, as a HR Business Partner. In April 2010, she was promoted to the position of Senior HR Business Partner, Mercedes-Benz Retail Group, being responsible for all aspects of HR in the wholly owned dealerships in London, Birmingham and Manchester, which employ 2,000 people.
Andrew Didlick
Director of Communications
Peugeot Motor Company Plc
Andrew Didlick has worked in the Automotive industry for most of his working life starting with GKN in the late 70's moving to Jaguar Cars in the late 80's as Manager of World Advertising and before finally joining Peugeot Motor Company in 1992 as Head of Advertising. he is currently Director of Communications, a position he's held for ten years and is responsible for all of Peugeot's contact with the UK media and the local community.
Catherine Sleigh
Head of Press & PR
Škoda Auto
Growing up in Detroit meant that Cathie was destined for the auto industry. She could identify every car on the road at the age of six and believed that the giant billboards along the motorways that counted car production were repeated in every city in America. Cathie has applied that creativity and imagination to industry roles in America, Spain and Britain. Currently Head of Press & PR as well as the motorsport programme for Škoda UK, Cathie sits on the management board responsible for continuing the brand's record levels of UK growth. She finds those roles challenging, exciting and invigorating!
Francesco Mereu
Director, HR, Corporate Planning & CSR
Toyota (GB) plc
Francesco Mereu holds a degree in business administration and Masters in human resources. Before joining Toyota Europe at their Head Office in 2004 he worked for Fiat for nine years, during which time he gained extensive international experience, notably as HR director for the company in The Netherlands and Germany.
