Duncan Forrester: brings his unique experience to automotive launches from electric hyper cars to mining trucks.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Duncan Forrester.

Duncan is a globally experienced Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and consultant who’s worked with many of the automotive industry’s most famous brands.

He cut his teeth at BMW and Volvo in the UK, before being appointed as the global head of Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Cars in Sweden, soon after the Geely acquisition, and relaunching the Volvo brand with the then all-new XC90 and the other models that followed.

He then spent a period of time running Corporate Communications for McLaren Automotive in Woking before the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a small team launching an entirely new and innovative car company – Polestar.

With that unique experience, he started the first communication consultancy specifically supporting start-up and electric vehicle brands, initially creating the PR and Communications function for INEOS Automotive and their Grenadier, and then as Chief Communications Officer for Volta Trucks. And more recently in the same role for Automobili Pininfarina, with their all-electric Battista hypercar – one of the fastest and most powerful road cars ever built.

And he’s now working with the electrification of the vast Ultra Class mining haul trucks, so he really has worked on the decarbonisation of vehicles at every end of the automotive spectrum.

In our conversation we talk about how he knew from an early age that he wanted to get into the automotive industry and he demonstrated great effort and persistence to make that happen.

When opportunities arose, he had his own north star which helped him to decline some that weren't aligned.

As a result he has amassed a significant amount of experience in the specialised field of launching startup EV brands.

Paul Flitter and Paul Kirby had both mentioned Duncan in their recent episodes, highlighting what a supportive mentor he is. I was delighted to get the opportunity to get to know him myself through this conversation and to be able to share his story and experience with you.

Connect with Duncan

LinkedIn Profile
Website

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

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Episode recorded on 4 November, 2024.