The 81st president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), George Gillespie, executive vice president, Horiba Automotive Test Systems (ATS) was named at SMMT's annual dinner.
Gillespie takes office from 1 January 2019, replacing Tony Walker the managing director of Toyota Motor Europe's London office, and former Derbyshire plant deputy chief, who steps down at the end of this year after the two year tenure.
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Gillespie has 25 years' international experience in the automotive and marine sectors, having previously held senior roles with Ricardo and Schenck.
He joined MIRA in 2009 as CEO, growing the business internationally and leading its sale in 2015 to Horiba of Japan.
In addition to his work as head of the company's automotive test systems division, Gillespie is chair of the intelligent connected vehicles group within the Automotive Council. He has a PhD from Queen's University, Belfast, for research into low emission engines and is a fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
