• Dr Andy Palmer presented with prestigious Auto Express ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award
• Award recognises Palmer’s contribution and commitment to the automotive industry throughout illustrious 39-year career to date
• New Vantage receives reader’s choice ‘Design of the Year’ award

 
Tuesday 3 July 2018, London: Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andy Palmer was honoured this evening with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Auto Express New Car Awards, while the recently-launched Aston Martin Vantage has claimed the ‘Design of the Year’ title, voted for by Auto Express’ readership.
 
The award - which was presented to Palmer by Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler – represents an appreciation for his efforts during his long and successful career in the automotive industry.
 
Palmer said: “Naturally I am honoured to receive an award from within the industry that I love but I think this award is for everybody at Aston Martin. For everybody who embraced the Second Century Plan, and helped to turn around the fortunes of this great British company. We are now entering a period of continued growth and the third phase of our plan, as we begin to diversify our product portfolio and further strengthen Aston Martin’s position as a global luxury business”.
 
Since taking the helm of Aston Martin in 2014, Palmer has led the company into a new era of profitability, guided by his visionary Second Century Plan. It was announced in February that Aston Martin had delivered its highest-ever revenues of £876m, up 48% versus the previous year, with pre-tax profits rising by a quarter of a billion pounds to £87m. Driven by the sell-out success of the DB11, these figures also prompted Brand Finance to declare that Aston Martin is the “fastest growing auto brand” in the UK.
 
In addition to Palmer’s success, Aston Martin’s recently-launched Vantage claimed the ‘Design of the Year’ award, voted for by Auto Express’ readers online. The achievement underlines the success of the British marque’s most focused sportscar and the work of Aston Martin’s design studio, led by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman.
 
Reichman said, “Andy set my team and I the task of creating models with clear and distinct characters and for Vantage, we wanted to deliver on the theme of the hunter. This is a car of pure athleticism and we pushed the boundaries to create something that matched the car’s dynamic credentials. I’d like to thank the readers of Auto Express for their appreciation of our work. It’s always very humbling to receive such a positive reaction and I hope they continue to enjoy our future designs. This is a very exciting time for the company’s design team, as we continue to explore the potential of both the Aston Martin and Lagonda brands”.
 
Speaking of both awards, Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief Auto Express said, “Andy Palmer himself is humble enough to stress that it’s all been a team effort, both at Nissan and Aston Martin. But every team needs a leader and Palmer is a man, an engineer, who leads from the front with a combination of intelligence, astuteness and humility that has made him the most influential person in the motor industry over the past 30 years.
“Aston Martin’s new Vantage sees the firm leave behind the design language it has relied on for over a decade in favour of something altogether more youthful and radical. As such, it certainly can’t be said that Aston has played things safe, but according to our readers, it’s a massive success”. 



Note to editors:
 
Dr Andy Palmer CMG is a chartered engineer, chartered manager and businessman with 39 years of automotive industry experience.  Before he joined Aston Martin, the Englishman enjoyed a successful career at Nissan Motor Company where he most recently held the position of Co-COO / Chief Planning Officer.  He started his career in 1979 as a 16-year-old apprentice at Automotive Products Limited (UK) and is still a firm believer in the importance of apprenticeships. He is Professor of Coventry University and Warwick University; works with the government on the GREAT Britain campaign and advising on Business, Skills and Apprenticeships; and an Hon. Group Captain in RAF Squadron 601. On 1^st January 2014, Dr. Palmer was named a Companion of The Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG). The prestigious award, which was given in recognition of services to the British automotive industry, highlights the important role Palmer has played in championing the UK as an automotive manufacturing base.