Automotive

In a fiercely competitive market, automotive businesses are investing in electrified powertrains and new ways to sell vehicles while keeping output and quality steady. Leaders who combine that operational discipline with commercial and technical judgement are hard to find, and the best of them are almost always in post.

As specialist automotive headhunters, we approach these individuals directly and in confidence, and in this sector they are often found among the manufacturers and suppliers that sit around the client’s own programmes. Our Automotive practice forms part of our manufacturing executive search work, and our partners also lead chief executive appointments and board searches.

Automotive leaders we appoint

The automotive leaders Stone Executive appoints have remits that range from a single plant to a group board. Each brief is shaped by where the business sits in the supply chain, because a tier 2 component maker and a franchised dealer group need leaders with very different experience. Ownership and the pace of the product plan then refine the profile.

• Managing directors, chief executives and general managers
• Plant, manufacturing and operations directors
• Engineering, product and programme directors
• Quality and supplier quality directors
• Purchasing and supply chain directors
• Commercial, sales and aftersales directors
• Finance and human resources directors
• Chairs and non-executive board members

Our automotive executive recruitment work also extends to senior managers who lead a function within a plant or division, where demand for experienced people is greater than supply.

Automotive markets we cover

Our Automotive practice covers vehicle manufacturers, suppliers across the tiers, the aftermarket, dealer groups, and commercial and off-highway vehicles. Every part of the sector has its own customers and margin structure, so an early question in any brief is which parts of the industry can provide a credible candidate for the role.

• Vehicle manufacturers (OEMs), including their UK plants and engineering centres
• Tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers of systems, modules and components
• Aftermarket parts, service and distribution companies
• Vehicle retail and dealer groups
• Manufacturers of commercial and off-highway vehicles

In dealer groups and the aftermarket, leadership has more in common with multi-site retail and distribution, where customer experience, manufacturer standards and the performance of each site shape the profile of the right leader. Commercial vehicle and off-highway businesses often work with smaller, specialist customer bases, and their leaders bring engineering credibility together with long-standing customer relationships.

Supplier appointments often require experience of OEM programme launches, cost reduction targets and customer quality standards. A tier 1 supplier normally works directly with the vehicle manufacturer’s programme team and follows its launch timetable. A tier 2 business supplies tier 1 customers and often serves other industries as well, which changes the commercial and engineering experience its leaders need. Where a brief centres on component manufacturing for several end markets, it runs alongside our engineered components practice.

Automotive leadership through the EV transition

In the Automotive sector, the switch to electric vehicles is a central leadership issue because it affects products, plants, supply chains and sales models at the same time. Boards now seek leaders who can handle that change while keeping the existing business performing.

Government policy sets the timetable for this shift. According to the Department for Transport, new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out by 2030, and all new cars and vans will need to be fully zero emission by 2035. The same announcement notes that more than one in four new cars sold are now electric. In August 2026 the government launched a review of the zero emission vehicle mandate, inviting manufacturers, suppliers and dealers to comment on whether the existing annual targets remain appropriate.

Manufacturers and suppliers need leaders with battery, electrification and software experience, and operations leaders who can retool plants and requalify suppliers. Many of these searches overlap with our engineering leadership searches, where candidates are drawn from adjacent sectors such as aerospace, electronics and energy. Dealer groups and aftermarket businesses face a similar shift, as servicing, parts and retail models adapt to more electric vehicles on the road.

Our Automotive executive search process

In the Automotive sector, the timing of a senior appointment often needs to fit with a launch, a model changeover or a plant retooling. Our Automotive executive search process is retained and partner-led, and a search usually runs for four to eight weeks from the agreed brief to the candidate accepting the offer.

Plant and programme leaders should be able to show a launch they have led from pre-production to full volume, including how supplier readiness and the customer’s approval of production parts were managed.

Quality leadership in this sector is shaped by IATF 16949, the automotive quality management standard published by the International Automotive Task Force, which brings together a number of vehicle manufacturers’ customer-specific requirements. The strongest quality candidates can show that they have created a quality culture on the shop floor and taken the business through customer audits.

Candidates from a tier 1 supplier and from a vehicle manufacturer can look alike on paper, and the difference often shows in how each has dealt with the other side of that relationship, from annual price reductions to warranty claims. Shortlisted candidates are presented with written profiles, and we handle the interviews, the offer and the notice period, which for senior automotive leaders may include restrictive covenants that need careful planning.

FAQs

To discuss a senior appointment with a vehicle manufacturer, supplier or dealer group, please call our team on 0333 800 1560.