Sir Nick Scheele, one of the most famous names in the British and global motor industry, will deliver the prestigious Bugatti Lecture on Coventry Car Day - 9 June 2012.
In a 50-year career with Ford Motor Company Sir Nick rose to the very top. He joined Ford of Britain in 1966 and worked in a variety of roles in purchasing, supply and procurement. He moved to the US in 1978, where he led Ford’s supply and purchasing teams.
From 1988 to 1991 he was President of Ford of Mexico, before returning to the UK on 1 January 1992 to take up the position of Vice-Chairman of Jaguar Cars (which had been taken over by Ford in 1990). In April that year he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar.
During his tenure at the top of Jaguar the company doubled its global sales, developed the acclaimed XK8 sports car and the successful S-type saloon, and extended its range with the compact X-type saloon. It introduced the advanced AJ-V8 engine and won the GT class at the 1993 Le Mans 24-hour race with an XJ220 driven by David Brabham and David Coulthard.
In 1999 Sir Nick Scheele became Chairman of Ford of Europe. Two years later he moved to the US again, where he was President of Ford Automotive Operations, and the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the board of Ford Motor Company.
After his retirement from Ford, Sir Nick returned to the UK and was Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 2003 to 2008. Since 2006 he has been President of the Coventry Transport Museum.
Sir Nick's Bugatti Lecture will discuss the role of the British motor industry in the design and manufacture of cars over the years, and look ahead to its future.