The 83rd President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) will be Mick Flanagan, Vice President for Volvo, JLR, Toyota, Nissan at Adient.
He will assume office from 1 January 2024, replacing Alison Jones, Senior Vice President Global Circular Economy at Stellantis, who steps down after completing her two-year tenure.
Mick draws experience from a long career in the automotive sector, having worked in the industry for 37 years. After graduating from University College Dublin with a degree in mechanical engineering, he started his career at Ford Motor Company, spending a decade there before moving to Visteon, where he worked in a variety of manufacturing and product development roles.
He then joined Johnson Controls as a plant manager in 2000, progressing over the years to roles in general management. Following the spin-off of Johnson Controls’ seating division into global seating manufacturer Adient, Mick has spent the last seven years in senior management positions in the UK and Germany and is currently responsible for Adient business with JLR, Volvo, Toyota and Nissan, and in addition serves as a board member supporting various international legal entities of the company.
UK automotive manufacturing secured £20 billion in investment over the course of this year – more than in the previous seven years combined.
Private sector commitments bolstered by government funding and as part of advanced manufacturing, plan to ensure UK remains a global manufacturing, innovation and trade hub. Shift to zero emission cars, vans, trucks and buses delivers decarbonisation with potential to unlock further opportunities in battery and supply chain sectors.
Potential for tariffs on UK-EU EV trade still a threat underscore the need for a strong domestic market and all these challenges have to be addressed.
