Marshall Motor Holdings has announced the appointment of Professor Richard Parry-Jones CBE as its new non-executive chairman, with effect from January 1, 2019.

Parry-Jones has spent over 30 years in senior executive positions at Ford Motor Company, including group vice president of global product development and served as its chief technical officer for 10 years.

His non-executive career has included positions working with the Government, such as in the role of co-chair of the UK Automotive Council, and in infrastructure sectors, such as the roles of chairman of Network Rail, Kelda Group Holdings and Yorkshire Water.

He also served for 10 years as a non-executive director of GKN Plc, a global leader in automotive and aerospace systems, including the role of senior independent director for much of that period.

Commenting on his new role with Marshall, Parry-Jones said: “The global automotive industry is undergoing unprecedented change, driven in large part by exciting new technologies, some of which I have been heavily involved with during my career."

“MMH’s strategy of close partnership with major global automotive brands has served it well over recent years, enabling it to grow significantly and become a leading UK automotive retailer.

"This strategy has positioned MMH well to continue its recent success and I am very much looking forward to being part of the MMH leadership team to help deliver its future potential.”

Parry-Jones’ other current roles include visiting professor at Loughborough University and chairman of the Faraday Challenge Advisory Board.

Peter Johnson will retire from the Board on December 31 with Parry-Jones formally joining the Board on January 1.

Marshall Motor Holdings’ senior independent director, Alan Ferguson, said: “Richard brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience of the automotive industry and his insight and guidance will be invaluable to the development of the Company over the coming years.

"I would again like to thank Peter Johnson for his leadership of the Company over the past four years.”

Marshall has also confirmed that Richard Blumberger, appointed chief financial officer, will be taking up his new position on January 2 and Mark Raban will be stepping down on that date.

Raban will be available to assist the Company during a transition period as required.