Jonathan Neale

Last updated

Jonathan Neale
Jonathan Neale.jpg
Born (1962-08-19) 19 August 1962 (age 61)
Woking, Surrey, England
Alma mater University of Nottingham
OccupationChairman of Filtronic
Employer Filtronic
Known for McLaren Group
McLaren Racing

Jonathan Neale [1] (born 19 August 1962) [2] is a British businessman and the chief operating officer of McLaren Group. Neale's responsibilities as part of the executive management team include infrastructure development, information technology, facilities management as well as holding a number of statutory directorships. [3] [4]

Contents

Career

Neale has a background in physics and aerospace. [5] He has a physics degree from the University of Nottingham, is a member of the Council for the Foundation for Science and Technology [6] based at The Royal Society, London. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. [7]

Initially starting his career at Philips Electronics Defence Systems in 1984, Neale worked as an engineer on electronic semiconductor research and software projects, including microwave technology, antennas and low noise amplifiers for defence systems.

Neale joined BAE Systems in 1991 as a project design engineer and remained there until joining McLaren Formula One team in 2001. During his time at BAE Systems, he worked on a broad range of commercial and defence projects, across functions from engineering, production, flight operations, sales and customer support in sites at Manchester, Prestwick, Brough and Warton.

Joining McLaren Formula One team in 2001 [8] as operations director, Neale oversaw the team go from strength to strength, with his role as managing director marked by the F1 World Championship win for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton, in 2008. His career at McLaren Group continued with his appointment in 2016 as chief operating officer.

In November 2021, Neale joined RF and microwave equipment manufacturer Filtronic as non-executive chairman. [9]

Engineering and Aerospace

Neale began his career in engineering at Philips Electronics Defence Systems in Crawley, West Sussex in 1984. Work included designing semiconductor integrated circuits for high-speed digital signal processing applications, before moving on to the advanced development and research unit responsible for technology to detect missiles for ships and submarines.  

It wasn't until joining BAE Systems in 1991 that Neale became more involved with the commercial aspects of engineering and manufacture. Initially starting out as a project design engineer, he worked to deliver production-line based projects to the Advanced Turboprop and Regional Jet products, [10] before moving to Prestwick, Scotland, where he managed turboprop aircraft production and final assembly.

This work in commercial aerospace continued throughout the 1990s, with Neale having roles as Operations Director and Support-Operations including customer support, aircraft maintenance, and training.

In 1999, Neale became programme director for the BAE Systems Hawk Jet. [11] The Hawk Jet is perhaps best known for its role in the Royal Air Force Red Arrows Display Team. [12] It continues to be in production today in the UK and under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), with over 900 Hawks sold to 18 operators around the world. [13] The Hawk was first flown as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk in 1974, at Dunsfold Airfield in Surrey. The airfield would eventually become a test track for road cars, [14] including some of McLaren's own vehicles.

Motorsport

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 McLaren MP4-23 Car.png
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23

In 2001 Neale joined the McLaren Racing Formula One team as Operations Director. At the time, he was responsible initially for the technical purchasing, planning, manufacturing and quality functions of the team. Drivers David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen and drove the West McLaren Mercedes MP4-16 to second and fifth position [15] in the F1 world championship.

In 2005, Neale became managing director of the McLaren Racing [16] F1 team, culminating in a 2008 World Championship win [17] with Lewis Hamilton in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4 23

Neale went on to hold the position acting chief executive of McLaren Racing In 2015. This move saw him oversee the operational and commercial activities of the team. He represented the team at the Formula 1 strategy Group and spent time with Honda's F1 Racing Programme In Japan.

McLaren Group

McLaren Technology Centre McLaren Technology Centre geograph-4478964-by-Alan-Hunt.jpg
McLaren Technology Centre

Just prior to Ron Dennis stepping down as chief executive officer, [18] he was appointed in 2016 to chief operating officer of McLaren Group. [19] The organisation encompasses McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive, and McLaren Applied. [20]

The group delivers some of the most cutting-edge supercars in the world, such as the 720S [21] and Speedtail. [22] A highly successful Formula One team and innovative technology and systems from McLaren Applied.

Neale's role as chief operating officer sees him report to the executive chairman and work alongside the chair and executive committee to lead growth strategy and the organisation development agenda for the company.

In September 2021 it was announced that Neale would step down as chief operating officer and leave the company at some point in the year. [23]

Filtronic

In November 2021 it was announced that Neale had joined Filtronic as non-executive chairman. [24]

Personal life

Neale resides in Surrey, Woking, with his wife and two children.

Related Research Articles

McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Ferrari, having won 184 races, 12 Drivers' Championships, and eight Constructors' Championships. McLaren also has a history in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. McLaren is also one of only three constructors to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport, a feat that McLaren achieved by winning the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Dennis</span> British businessman (born 1947)

Sir Ronald Dennis is a British businessman and an Official British Business Ambassador for the United Kingdom. He is best known for his former role as owner, CEO, chairman and founder of McLaren Group. Dennis was removed from his McLaren management roles in 2016 but remained a director of the company and a 25-per-cent shareholder until June 2017, when his 37-year association with the company ended.

McLaren Group Limited is a British holding company based in Woking, England, which is involved in Formula One and other motorsport and the manufacture of sports cars.

McLaren Automotive is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are sports cars, which are produced in-house in designated production facilities. In July 2017, McLaren Automotive became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the wider McLaren Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Fry</span> British businessman (born 1956)

Nicholas Richard Fry is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, having previously served in similar roles at previous incarnations of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Whitmarsh</span> British businessman (born 1958)

Martin Richard Whitmarsh is a British businessman and Group CEO of the Aston Martin Performance Technologies team since 21 September 2021. Whitmarsh is best known to motorsport insiders, media, and fans for his long and successful period at McLaren, for which he worked for 25 years (1989–2014) in various senior positions, including group chief executive officer, as well as Formula One Team Principal for six years (2008–2014).

James Key is a British engineer who has worked in Formula One. He is currently the technical director of Stake F1 Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Lowe</span> British Formula One engineer

Patrick Allen Lowe FREng, known as Paddy Lowe, is the founder and CEO of the fossil-free synthetic fuel company Zero. A former motor racing engineer and computer scientist, he spent 32 years working in Formula One, serving as Chief Technical Officer at Williams Racing, Executive Director (Technical) at Mercedes Formula One team and Technical Director at McLaren. He was involved with cars that won 12 World Championships and secured 158 race wins. He left Formula One in 2019 and co-founded Zero in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Fry</span> British motorsports engineer (born 1964)

Pat Fry is a British motorsports engineer. Primarily working in Formula One, he has previously held positions with the Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari, Manor Racing, and Renault/Alpine teams. As of 2023, Fry is the chief technical officer for Williams Grand Prix Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Éric Boullier</span> French engineer and manager

Éric René Boullier is a French motor racing engineer and manager. He was the racing director of the McLaren F1 Team from 2014 to 2018. During the 2010 to 2013 seasons, he was the team principal of Lotus F1, and was vice chairman of Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) until it was disbanded after six years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zak Brown</span> American racing driver and businessman

Zakary Challen Brown is an American businessman and former professional racing driver, currently residing in England. He is the chief executive officer of McLaren Racing. Born and raised in California, Brown raced professionally around the world for ten years before developing his skills in motorsport's business and commercial worlds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jost Capito</span> German Motorsport manager

Jost Capito is a German former motorsport manager. Capito has been employed in various roles during his career, with his most successful role being Director of Motorsport at Volkswagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MCL32</span> McLaren Formula One racing car

The McLaren MCL32 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by McLaren to compete in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso, who stayed with the team for a third season; and Stoffel Vandoorne, who joined the team after Jenson Button retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2016 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren Driver Development Programme</span> Program to support young racing drivers through their careers

The McLaren Driver Development Programme is a driver development program operated by McLaren. It is intended to offer year-by-year guidance, assistance and endorsement to help promising young racers climb the motorsport ladder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MCL33</span> Formula One racing car

The McLaren MCL33 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by McLaren to compete in the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, with additional testing and development work carried out by reigning European Formula 3 champion Lando Norris and McLaren's regular test driver Oliver Turvey. The MCL33 is the first car built by McLaren to use a customer Renault engine after the team terminated its engine supply deal with Honda after three years and also first McLaren car to utilize a French-licensed engine manufacturer since the Peugeot-powered McLaren MP4/9 in 1994. It made its competitive debut at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. The car was launched with an orange and blue livery designed as a tribute to some of the team's earliest cars. Currently Fernando Alonso’s MCL33 is on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Caroline Hargrove is Chief Technical Officer of Ceres Power. She previously served as CTO at Zedsen, Babylon Health, McLaren Applied Technologies and as a visiting professor at the University of Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren Speedtail</span> Sports car designed and produced by McLaren Automotive

The McLaren Speedtail is a limited production hybrid sports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive, revealed on October 26, 2018. This car is the fourth edition in the McLaren Ultimate Series, after the Senna, the P1, and the F1. The car is also part of the 18 new cars or derivatives that McLaren will launch as part of its Track22 business plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Seidl</span> German motorsport engineer and manager

Andreas Seidl is a German motorsport engineer and manager. He is currently the chief executive officer of Sauber Motorsport, and previously team principal of the McLaren Formula One team and the hybrid Porsche LMP1 program.

Rob Marshall is a British Formula One engineer for McLaren, being their Chief Designer leading their technical team after initially being hired as the Technical Director for Engineering and Design. He previously had a leading role in the Red Bull Racing team from 2006-2024.

David Sanchez is a French Formula One engineer. He has been employed by the Renault, Ferrari and McLaren F1 teams. He currently serves as Executive Technical Director at Alpine.

References

  1. ↑ "Jonathan Neale, Mclaren Group Ltd: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Jonathan Neale". GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "McLaren Group". www.mclaren.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "McLaren has a corporate reshuffle". Motor1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "The will to win - careers advice to get ahead - University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Foundation for Science and Technology - FST". www.foundation.org.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Thrill of the Chase - The University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Jonathan Neale // Formula 1 employee". Sidepodcast. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Snowdon, Ros (2 November 2021). "Filtronic names McLaren executive as new chairman". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "BAe ATP/J61". BAE Systems. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer". BAE Systems. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Everything You Need To Know About The Red Arrows Hawk Jet". Forces Network. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Royal Air Force Information - RAF Aircraft - Hawk T1/T1A - Hawk T2 (128) - r7a7 - Armed Forces". www.armedforces.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Track Plan". Top Gear. BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "2001 F1 World Championship | Motorsport Database". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "Q & A with McLaren's Jonathan Neale". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "Standings". Formula 1. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Ron Dennis steps down from McLaren role". Formula 1. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "100 Most Influential People in Formula 1 | 2016". Paddock Magazine. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "New McLaren Group unifies McLaren Automotive and McLaren Technology Group". www.insideindustry.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  21. ↑ "Mclaren 720S". Top Gear. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "McLaren Speedtail review". Autocar. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  23. ↑ "McLaren Group COO Jonathan Neale to leave company after two decades".
  24. ↑ Snowdon, Ros (2 November 2021). "Filtronic names McLaren executive as new chairman". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.