Formula 1

McLaren appoints Zak Brown as executive director

Published Dec. 9, 2016 1:27 p.m. ET

Adam Cooper

American Zak Brown has been appointed executive director of McLaren Technology Group as the company restructures after Ron Dennis lost his chairman and CEO role.

Brown, who will start his new job in December, had also been considering an offer to join the F1 organization, having been tipped as a possible successor to Bernie Ecclestone.

McLaren says that together with COO Jonathan Neale, “Brown will will jointly lead the businesses as part of the first step in the Group's transition to a new and strengthened organizational structure. The process of identifying and recruiting a new Group Chief Executive Officer will continue.” He will report to the company’s executive committee.

Brown’s JMI organization, which is also active in NASCAR, has worked with McLaren on a number of commercial deals, including Johnnie Walker, GSK, Hilton, Lenovo, Chandon and NTT.

Brown has raced extensively himself, and his car collection includes a McLaren-Mercedes that he regularly samples on track.

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for what the business has achieved to date,” said Brown. “And I look forward to contributing to the next important phase in its development. Having worked closely with McLaren for many years, I've been struck by the talent and ambition of the entire workforce, and I very much look forward to complementing the business's many existing strengths, and building on them to drive future success in everything we do.”

“Best of all, in my new role I'll be able to combine my absolute passion with my unparalleled area of expertise – respectively motorsport and marketing – while ensuring that the two stay totally aligned.”

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