Dyson picks JLR battery expert as next chief executive

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Dyson has named former Aston Martin and JLR director Hanno Kirner as its chief executive, as the engineering company increases its focus on battery technology and pushes into new industries. 

Kirner will replace Roland Krueger, another former automotive industry veteran who is standing down after four years as CEO to take a new position on the board of Dyson’s holding company, the business announced on Tuesday. 

Krueger, who previously worked at BMW and Nissan’s Infiniti brand, took over at Dyson in the early months of the pandemic, later overseeing a return-to-work policy that caused resentment among some staff.

Founder Sir James Dyson said Krueger’s leadership during the pandemic “took the company through one of the most difficult times of recent memory”. 

He added that Krueger “successfully transformed the operation of the company and built a strong team that will be the foundation for the next steps”. 

Dyson’s sales have risen as the business has moved into new products such as air purifiers and hair dryers.

In 2022, the last year for which it filed accounts, revenues rose from £6bn to £6.5bn, though profits fell from £1.5bn to £1.3bn, as costs increased and the group faced some supply chain problems. Profits at many manufacturing companies rose strongly in the following year, as global supply chain problems eased. 

Kirner “will bring . . . a wealth of experience across multiple industries,” Dyson’s founder said. 

The new CEO, who starts next month, has previously worked at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, as CFO of Aston Martin before its stock market listing, and as CFO of the Land and Sea division of Rolls-Royce. He joined JLR in 2016.

For the past two years he has worked across JLR and its parent company Tata Group on battery technology, including overseeing the Indian group’s partnership with Chinese-owned battery maker AESC, and its plans to build a £4bn gigafactory in the UK. 

Dyson is opening a battery factory in Singapore, with plans for large-scale production next year, to equip its products from vacuum cleaners and hair dryers to air-purifying face masks. The company is investing close to £3bn in battery technology and other developments including robotics and AI.

Despite appointing its second successive chief executive with an automotive background, Dyson is unlikely to resurrect its plans to enter the car industry.

In 2017, the business said it was exploring launching a range of battery vehicles powered by its own technology. It patented windscreen designs, and developed a fully electric working prototype vehicle that hoped to rival the Range Rover. Two years later, it ditched the project to focus on consumer goods and opportunities elsewhere, including in farming.