46 Facts About Andy Palmer

Andrew Charles Palmer was born on 30 June 1963 and is an English automotive executive and engineer.

Andy Palmer has been described as the 'Godfather of EVs' due to his work launching the Nissan Leaf in 2010 whilst COO at the Japanese company.

Andy Palmer is known for launching Aston Martin's first SUV, the DBX, and first mid-engined sports car, Valkyrie, during his tenure as CEO from 2014 to 2020.

Andy Palmer was previously CEO and Executive Vice-chairman of electric bus and van company, Switch.

In 2017, Andy Palmer was appointed chairman of the productivity and skills commission of the new West Midlands Combined Authority.

Andy Palmer was previously the chief planning officer, executive vice-president and member of the executive committee of Nissan Motor Company.

Andy Palmer was chairman of Infiniti, and president of Nissan Motor Light Truck Co, a member of the board of directors of Nissan Investment Company, and of Nissan's joint ventures with India's Ashok Leyland.

Andy Palmer entered a technical apprenticeship with UK Automotive Products Limited in 1979 at the age of 16.

Andy Palmer received a master's degree in Product Engineering from the University of Warwick, in July 1990, and a doctorate in Engineering Management, from Cranfield University, in April 2004.

Andy Palmer is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Andy Palmer holds a Diploma in Industrial Management from Coventry University.

Andy Palmer is a member and former board member of SAE International and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute.

Andy Palmer was given honorary doctorates by Coventry and Cranfield Universities, and is a professor at Coventry University, industrial professor at Warwick University and a guest professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

Andy Palmer started his professional career in 1983 as a project engineer of UK Automotive Products Limited.

Andy Palmer joined Nissan in 1991 as business administration manager at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe, where he became Deputy managing director in 2001 after managing vehicle design and testing.

In September 2002, Andy Palmer moved to Japan, where he became program director for Nissan's Light Commercial Vehicles.

In February 2009, Andy Palmer was appointed Senior Vice-president, and entered Nissan's executive committee.

In October 2010, Andy Palmer's responsibility was extended to include Global Marketing, Brand and Communications.

At Nissan, Andy Palmer is credited with pioneering new technologies, through his support of the Zeod hybrid Le Mans project and Bladeglider sports car concept.

At the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Andy Palmer said that "it's complete bullshit" to assume that electric vehicles move the CO2 issue to the powerstation.

Andy Palmer conceded that EVs could pollute even less if electricity generation would be made greener across the globe.

Andy Palmer was described as the "main proponent of electric vehicles" at Nissan and led on the development of the LEAF electric car.

In March 2014, Andy Palmer drew attention after Global NCAP tested a number of India's best-selling cars and found their safety lacking.

Andy Palmer became chief executive of Aston Martin in October 2014.

Andy Palmer has gained recognition for bringing the iconic, albeit perennially loss-making, Aston Martin brand on the path of profitability.

Andy Palmer "put funding in place to launch one new model at least every year," sanctioned a new logistics center and a new factory in Wales to build the DBX SUV.

At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Andy Palmer had presented Aston Martin's "Second Century Plan," and he unveiled the DBX crossover concept he had commissioned when new into the job as Aston Martin CEO.

Andy Palmer oversaw Aston Martin's move towards a mid-engined car bloodline, culminating in the launch of the Valkyrie expected in late 2020.

The Aston Martin board announced on 26 May 2020 that Andy Palmer was leaving Aston Martin after almost six years, to be replaced by Tobias Moers.

In October 2020, Andy Palmer was appointed non-executive vice-chairman of a Slovakian battery manufacturer, InoBat Auto.

In March 2022, Andy Palmer was appointed as Chairman of the company.

In July 2020, Optare, a UK maker of buses, announced that Andy Palmer was appointed non-executive chairman.

Optare is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland, where Andy Palmer served as a non-executive board member since 2015.

In July 2021, Andy Palmer was appointed as CEO and Executive Vice-chairman of the newly re-branded Optare, now known as Switch Mobility.

Andy Palmer resigned from his role at Switch Mobility in November 2022.

In January 2023, Switch Mobility announced the launch of the IeV series, which Andy Palmer worked on, to address the growing requirement of last-mile and mid-mile mobility applications in India.

Andy Palmer advises the UK government in export matters as an ambassador for the GREAT Britain campaign.

In 2016, Andy Palmer was asked to be an advisor to the UK Prime Minister in the area of Skills and Apprenticeships.

Andy Palmer serves as an Honorary Group Captain of the Royal Air Force.

In January 2021, Andy Palmer wrote to the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, declaring the UK urgently needed to plan for four factories for electric vehicle batteries in order for the UK car industry to stay competitive.

In January 2021, Andy Palmer submitted evidence to the parliamentary Science and Technology Select Committee on the role hydrogen can play in reaching Net Zero.

In September 2021, Andy Palmer announced he was appointed as an Ambassador for the government's Business Climate Leaders campaign ahead of COP26.

In September 2018, Andy Palmer announced a charitable foundation to fund apprenticeships targeting young people from disadvantaged background.

Andy Palmer was married to Hitomi, who is Japanese, and they have one daughter.

Andy Palmer started racing while still at Nissan, driving a GT4 Nissan 370Z.

Andy Palmer entered professional racing in 2017, when he applied for and received his MSA C Class international licence.