Lord Bamford, JCB

Lord Bamford has the formal title of Baron Bamford of Daylesford in the County of Gloucestershire and Wootton in the County of Staffordshire. He has spent more than 50 years at JCB, the company his father founded, and 2015 marked his 40th year as chairman. With more than 6,000 employees in 11 UK factories, exporting more than three-quarters of its production, JCB generates export revenues of more than £1.3 billion and is estimated to contribute at least £1.4 billion to national GDP, £555 million to the exchequer and 24,000 jobs overall to the UK economy.

Nigel Stein, GKN

Nigel Stein became chief executive of engineering giant GKN in 2012 having previously been chief executive of its automotive division. He is also a non-executive director of Inchcape and chairman of the Automotive Council. Before joining Redditch-headquartered GKN he held senior financial positions with the Laird Group and Hdestair Duple Ltd. GKN operates in 30 countries and employs more than 55,000 people.

Mark Selway, IMI

Mark Selway
Mark Selway

Former Weir Group chief executive Mark Selway took the helm of industrial group IMI at the beginning of 2014. Before that the Australian ran building materials company Boral in his native country. He was a main board director at Britax between 1996 and 2000. Solihull-headquartered IMI employs more than 12,000 people and has manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries, operating a global service network.

Stewart Towe, Hadley Group

Stewart Towe CBE, of Smethwick-based Hadley Group
Stewart Towe CBE, of Smethwick-based Hadley Group

Stewart Towe CBE is chairman of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and managing director of the Hadley Group which is one of Europe’s largest privately-owned cold rolled steel manufacturers. The award-winning Smethwick-based company has plants in the UK, Germany, UAE and Thailand supplying a wide range of industrial sectors. Stewart Towe is a regional ambassador for the West Midlands for Business in the Community. He was awarded his CBE in 2008 for services to industry.

Dr Clive Hickman, MTC

Manufacturing Technology Centre chief executive Dr Clive Hickman at the new £30 million Aerospace Research Centre
Manufacturing Technology Centre chief executive Dr Clive Hickman at the new £30 million Aerospace Research Centre

Dr Clive Hickman has overseen the establishment and rapid growth of the Manufacturing Technology Centre on Ansty Park, Coventry. The MTC houses some of the most advanced manufacturing machinery in the world and bridges the gap between academia and industry. The MTC campus includes the Lloyds Bank Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, the National Additive Centre and the Aerospace Research Centre. Before becoming chief executive of the MTC in 2011 Dr Hickman had more than 35 years experience in the automobile industry culminating in the position of head of engineering for Tata Motors in India.

David Keene, RDM Group

David Keene of RDM Group
David Keene of RDM Group

David Keene is chief executive of the Coventry-based RDM Group which supplies products and engineering services to a wide range of clients in the automotive, aerospace, medical, rail and renewables sectors. He has more than 32 years’ experience in the automotive industry including 21 years’ ownership of RDM. He is a member of the UK Automotive Council. RDM has most recently come to prominence in the development of driverless vehicles, having played the key role in the launch of the LUTZ Pathfinder driverless pod.

Lord Bhattacharyya, WMG

Lord Bhattacharyya
Lord Bhattacharyya

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya founded the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick more than 35 years ago and remains its chairman and motivational force. The organisation seeks to improve the competitiveness of industry through innovative research, education and knowledge transfer programmes. WMG employs more than 300 staff with a similar number seconded from industry. It has built up a global reputation in automotive research and digital and medical technology and has a well-regarded graduate development scheme. Lord Bhattacharyya, made a Labour peer in 2004, is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

David Bailey, Aston Business School

David Bailey
David Bailey

David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at Aston Business School, is an expert on economic restructuring and industrial policy. As such he is an oft-quoted columnist, media commentator and author on key business issues, particularly those relating to the Midlands and the automotive sector. He has acted as a special advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on the West Midlands and is currently undertaking European-funded research on attracting foreign investment to innovative industrial projects including low carbon vehicles.

David Ball, Elta

David Ball is vice-chairman of the fast-growing Kingswinford-based Elta Group, a £100 million turnover privately-owned family business operating in seven countries around the world. In 2013 Elta was named as one of 1,000 entrepreneurial companies to “inspire Britain” by the London Stock Exchange. The Ball family made their fortune from the sale of Dudley-based fan-maker Air Movement to aerospace giant Smiths Industries. Air Movement was founded by David Ball’s father in the early 1970s. The sale to Smiths in 1996 netted £47 million. The Ball’s retained part of the business – Elta Fans – and re-launched the company as the Elta Group.

Dick Elsy, High Value Manufacturing Catapult

Dick Elsy is chief executive of the Shirley-based High Value Manufacturing Catapult – a Government-funded organisation supported by Innovate UK dedicated to bridging the gap between industry and academia and providing access to world-class research and development facilities and expertise. Dick Elsy was previously product development director of Jaguar Cars and was also a member of the executive board at Land Rover where he was instrumental in developing and launching the Land Rover Freelander.