Luxury car maker Aston Martin has named the boss of Bentley, Adrian Hallmark, as its next chief executive, signalling the third change in leadership in four years.
Mr Hallmark, who will take over from Amedeo Felisa at Aston Martin by the beginning of October this year, has been chairman and chief executive at Bentley since 2018. He is widely credited with turning the company's fortunes around and delivering a 10-fold increase in profits in five years.
“Like many working within the ultra-luxury segment, I have admired the continued transformation of Aston Martin’s brand and products from afar,” Mr Hallmark said.
“The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry. I am looking forward to continuing the company’s great momentum and utilising my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.”
Mr Felisa will stay on as Aston Martin's chief executive until Mr Hallmark takes up the post, the company said, while new Aston Martin products are introduced, including its third next-generation sports car, due for launch this year.
“In Adrian Hallmark, we are attracting one of the highest calibre leaders not just in our segment, but in the entire global automotive industry,” said Lawrence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin.
“Complementing our world-class leadership, Adrian will bring to Aston Martin unrivalled experience in both the ultra-luxury and British manufacturing sectors to progress our strategy and continue recent momentum.”
Mr Felisa, 78, who has been at Aston Martin for less than two years, came from Ferrari where he had been chief executive when the sports car company was owned by Fiat.
“It has been a great privilege to serve as Aston Martin’s chief executive, leading our iconic brand through this exciting era,” he said.
“I am incredibly proud of the progress made over the last two years, which has aligned Aston Martin for a positive future direction. I believe now is the right time to allow the company to transition to new leadership.”
Bentley said on Friday that Mr Hallmark had joined six years ago “in a challenging business situation” and that his leaving was by “mutual consent”.
The Volkswagen-owned brand said it would announce his successor in due course.
Pedal to the metal
It's been a busy time for Aston Martin lately. Last month it launched three cars on the same day: the new Vantage, the competitive racing model of the Vantage – the Vantage GT3, and its new Formula One car.
Earlier this month, Aston Martin finalised a £1.15 billion ($1.4 billion) refinancing plan aimed at easing investor concerns over the company's balance sheet.
Raising capital has been a near-constant quest since Mr Stroll rescued Aston Martin four years ago, and since 2022 the likes of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, China’s Zhejiang Geely and the EV maker Lucid have taken stakes in the carmaker.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
UAE central contracts
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Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
Company%20profile
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
SPECS
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GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Kibsons%20Cares
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
