“London Thames Gateway`s proximity to the City of London and continental European markets will play a big part in its future commercial success.”

Ken has spent 38 years in the automotive industry with Rover, Ford, Jaguar and the last five years until early 2003 as Managing Director of Aston Martin where, after many years of losses, he took the company to sustained profitability. After taking early retirement in 2003, he set up his own management consultancy and is a non-executive director of a number of companies.

He has visiting professorships at Ashcroft Business School- Cambridge and Coventry University where he also has an Honorary Doctorate in Technology, given for outstanding services to the automotive industry.

Ken is a member of a number of institutes and is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Manufacturing Engineers. He joined the DTI in January 2004 to help establish the Automotive and Manufacturing Academies. He acts as a business organisational change advisor to a number of academic organisations, businesses and local authorities.