Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF TORSTEN MÜLLER-ÖTVÖS, CEO
05.10.2023 Press Release
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced today that Torsten Müller-Ötvös is to retire as its Chief Executive Officer on 30 November 2023. He will be succeeded by Chris Brownridge, currently Chief Executive Officer of BMW UK.
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- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces retirement of CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös
- Torsten is the marque’s longest-serving CEO since Claude Johnson, the man known as 'the hyphen in Rolls-Royce'
- 14-year tenure has seen Rolls-Royce transition from pinnacle automotive manufacturer to true luxury house
- During his tenure, sales increased sixfold, bringing significant economic benefits to ‘UK plc’
- Introduced first all-electric Rolls-Royce in the marque’s 120-year history and paved the way for Rolls-Royce’s all-electric future by the end of 2030
- Leaves the brand in a very strong market position, with ambitious expansion plans for the marque’s headquarters at Goodwood in West Sussex
- Will be succeeded on 1 December 2023 by Chris Brownridge, currently Chief Executive Officer of BMW UK
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced today that Torsten
Müller-Ötvös is to retire as its Chief Executive Officer on 30
November 2023. He will be succeeded by Chris Brownridge, currently
Chief Executive Officer of BMW UK.
Torsten joined Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in 2010, making him the
company’s longest-serving Chief Executive since Claude Johnson, the
man known as 'the hyphen in Rolls-Royce'.
Commenting on the announcement, Torsten said, “Leading
Rolls-Royce for almost 14 years has been the greatest privilege and
pleasure of my professional life. To have grown the company and its
world-class people to the position it is in today, at the pinnacle
of the luxury industry, has been a remarkable adventure. I am proud
of the role my exceptional team and I have played in contributing
significantly to the UK economy and to the global recognition of
Britain’s ability to produce the world’s best luxury products.”
Oliver Zipse, BMW Group Chief Executive, said,
“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a jewel in the crown of our
organisation. Torsten’s outstanding leadership, unswerving
commitment, clear vision and exceptional ability to build a strong,
focused team have helped make Rolls-Royce the world-class luxury
brand it is today. We wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”
Under Torsten’s leadership, Rolls-Royce has been
transformed from an automotive manufacturer to a true luxury house,
revered worldwide for its exquisite motor cars, unparalleled Bespoke
capabilities and deep understanding of the needs, tastes and desires
of its international clients.
That transformation has translated into a remarkable commercial
success. Annual sales have surged from around 1,000 motor cars in 2009
to over 6,000 in 2022. More importantly, each and every Rolls-Royce
that leaves the company’s Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing
Excellence in Goodwood, West Sussex, is Bespoke: it has been made to
the specific wishes of the client who has commissioned it.
Through this constant focus on Bespoke, which is realised
through the finest handcraftsmanship coupled with artistic and
technical creativity and innovation, Rolls-Royce is undoubtedly a
leader in the luxury sector. During Torsten’s tenure, the marque has
produced some of its most historic one-of-one motor cars, including
several co-created with the world’s leading artists, fashion designers
and luxury houses. Bespoke finds its ultimate expression in the
company’s Coachbuild department, which reawakened traditional
coachbuilding practices for a new era in 2017, most recently seen in
the remarkable Droptail, unveiled in August.
When Torsten took up his appointment, Goodwood produced just two
models, Phantom and Ghost. Under his leadership, Rolls-Royce Wraith
and Dawn were introduced, as was Rolls‑Royce Cullinan, the first SUV
in the marque’s history. This year sees the introduction of Spectre,
the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupé that begins the
marque’s transition to a fully electric product portfolio by the end
of 2030. Torsten also saw Black Badge, the edgier, more subversive
Rolls-Royce alter-ego, conceived and launched – a bold venture that
has broadened the brand’s appeal significantly.
The introduction of new models to the Rolls-Royce product
portfolio, the expansion of Bespoke and the clear strategic shift into
the super-luxury sector have been driving factors in the company’s
renaissance and ongoing business success, attracting a new generation
of clients to the marque. In 2010, the average price of a Rolls-Royce
was around €250,000 and the average client was aged 56; today, the
average price has doubled to around €500,000 and the average age of a
Rolls-Royce client is just 43.
The marque’s rejuvenation is part of a wide reshaping of the
luxury industry over the past decade. Torsten’s leadership has centred
on a willingness to not only participate in this change but to lead
it, embracing new technologies and thinking based on the marque’s
unique understanding of its clients’ tastes and desires. This is
demonstrated in how Rolls-Royce brings the brand directly to its
clients around the world, both physically in the form of new Private
Office boutiques, and virtually with the marque’s Whispers app – a
digital members’ club reserved for those who own a Goodwood-era Rolls-Royce.
Torsten said, “Whether in person or virtually on Whispers,
spending so much time with our clients - the inspirational people
upon whom the marque is built - has been one of my greatest joys and
a true education, giving me a clear, unique and finely attuned
understanding of how luxury is defined around the world.”
The success of Rolls-Royce under Torsten’s leadership is
such that the company now contributes over half a billion pounds to
the UK economy every year. It is also one of the largest employers in
West Sussex: the exceptional team working at the Home of Rolls-Royce
at Goodwood has grown from around 300 to more than 2,500, with over 50
nationalities represented.
Further commenting on today’s announcement, Torsten said, “I
believe the company is ready to embrace the future with all its
opportunities. We have recently submitted our plans to extend our
Goodwood site significantly in order to accommodate not only further
electric production, but also to fulfil demand for even more Bespoke
and Coachbuild products. These areas of our business truly set us
apart, and I am exceptionally proud of them.
As I leave Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, I look forward to the
opportunity for new professional challenges, as well as having a
little more time to visit the world’s great fly-fishing rivers! I
wish Chris Brownridge the very best as he takes the helm of this
wonderful marque. The team we have built over the last 14 years
includes some of the most talented, dedicated and innovative minds
in the luxury and automotive industries. I’m confident that,
together, they will add further remarkable chapters to the
extraordinary story of a company like no other in the world.”
Chris Brownridge joins Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from his
current role as Chief Executive Officer of BMW UK, a position he has
held since 2021. Commenting on his appointment, Oliver Zipse said,
“Chris Brownridge is a hugely experienced professional with a
tremendous track record – I am sure he will build on Rolls-Royce’s
success and guide Rolls-Royce Motor Cars onwards into its
all-electric future.”
Chris is a true sales and marketing expert, having spent
almost 30 years with the BMW Group, starting as a graduate in 1995.
Prior to his current position of CEO, Chris has been a member of the
UK Board in various roles since 2011, including Sales Director BMW UK,
BMW UK Marketing and MINI Regional Director for UK and Ireland.
Chris said, “I’m both honoured and humbled by my new
appointment. To be invited to lead this great British brand, at such
a pivotal moment in its long and remarkable story, is an
extraordinary privilege. Rolls-Royce is one of the world’s most
recognised, desirable and influential brands, and I’m keenly aware
of the enormous affection and esteem in which it’s held. It’s a
tribute to its magnificent products, the close relationships it
maintains with its clients and, above all, to the exceptional team
I’m about to join. I’m also conscious of the incredible heritage of
which we are the proud custodians, and that everything we do builds
on and adds to that unique legacy.
“I’m fortunate to be following Torsten as CEO. Through his vision
and ambition for the brand over 14 years, Rolls-Royce is today in an
exceptionally strong position, and full of confidence for the
future. I’m absolutely delighted to be part of the Rolls‑Royce story
and look forward to embracing the challenges and opportunities that
lie ahead for us all.”