The Board

Meet the board of Manganese Bronze.

John Russell
Group Chief Executive

John Russell (62), who was previously Vice President of Harley Davidson Motor Company and Managing Director of Harley Davidson Europe, joined the Board in March 2007 as Group Chief Executive.

John Russell began his career in the automotive industry at Unipart in 1972 before moving to Peugeot Talbot Motor Co in 1980. He spent six years at Peugeot, initially as UK Parts Marketing Director, and then as UK Marketing Director. This was followed by ten years at the Rover Group where he progressed from Marketing Director for Land Rover to Rover Group Board Director responsible for Sales, Marketing and Overseas Manufacturing. Prior to joining Harley Davidson he was Director General of the Walpole Committee, an organisation that promotes British luxury brands and Interim CEO of Bombay Dyeing, a Mumbai, India, based textile manufacturer.

Peter Shillcock
Chief Operating Officer

Peter Shillcock (50) was appointed Chief Operating Officer in March 2005 having been Managing Director of The London Taxi Company Limited, the Company’s principal subsidiary, since December 2000. A Chartered Engineer, he has over 25 years’ automotive engineering experience having previously held a number of senior positions within BMW and the Rover Group. Mr Shillcock is a Non-executive Director of MIRA (formally known as the Motor Industry Research Association).

Tim Melville-Ross * •
Non-executive Chairman

Tim Melville-Ross (67) was appointed as a Non-executive Director of Manganese Bronze in March 2000 and Chairman in January 2003. He was previously Chief Executive of the Nationwide Building Society (1985 – 1994), Director General of the Institute of Directors (1994 – 1999) and Chairman of DTZ Holdings plc (2000 – 2011). He is currently chairman of Royal London Mutual Insurance and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Christopher Ross FREng * •
Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Non-executive Director

Christopher Ross (68) was appointed a Non-executive Director in June 1995 and Deputy Chairman in March 2003. He is a Chartered Engineer. Mr Ross has had a long career in manufacturing and professional service companies. Previously Chief Executive of Molins Plc, Ricardo Plc and Wagon Automotive Limited, he is currently Chairman of Carclo PLC and a Non-executive Director of Autodata Publishing Group Limited and Chargemaster Plc. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering by Prince Phillip in 1995.

Andrew Walker * •
Non-executive Director

Andrew Walker (60) was appointed as a Non-executive Director in August 2003. Formerly he was Group Chief Executive of McKechnie plc (1997 to 2001) and of South Wales Electricity plc (1993 to 1996) having previously spent 14 years with Dowty Group PLC. He is currently Chairman of Metalrax plc and a Non-executive Director of May Gurney plc, Plastics Capital plc, Porvair plc and API Group plc.

George Zhao
Deputy Chief Executive Officer

George Zhao (45), who joined the Board in November 2010, has been Vice President of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited since 1999. Mr Zhao founded the Geely International Corporation in 2002 in Shanghai. This company is solely responsible for the Geely export business. Mr Zhao was appointed Executive Director on the board of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, on 15 September 2005. Mr Zhao has over eight years’ experience in sales and marketing management in the international automotive market. Mr Zhao graduated from the Enterprise Research Centre of Peking University with an Executive MBA Degree and prior to Geely had 12 years’ experience in the management of various government departments.

Peter Johansen
Group Finance Director

Peter Johansen (56) was appointed Group Finance Director in December 2011. Prior to this, he was Group Finance Director at Brintons Carpets Limited having held that position since 2005 and having played an instrumental role in establishing its new factory in Suzhou, China. He has wide experience of international global businesses gained while working previously for Jotun A/S and MacDermid plc. Peter has a BSc (Hons.) degree in International Banking and Finance and an MBA from the London Business School. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Daniel Li
Non-executive Director

Daniel Li (41), who joined the Board in December 2011, has been an executive director of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited since May 2011 following his appointment as a Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited, the controlling shareholder of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited in April 2011.

• Member of the Audit Committee
• Member of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee