NAID

The National Automotive Industry Day at The British Motor Show

A major event to mark the achievements of the UK Automotive Sector will take place on Thursday the 19th August 2021, hosted at The British Motor Show.

The National Automotive Industry Day will take place on the first day of the Show and will bring together members of the industry in a series of workshops and events aimed at raising awareness of the sector to the UK economy as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.

The day will feature workshops and keynote speakers from high profile automotive organisations including The Institute of the Motor Industry, The FLA, Octopus Energy, UK manufacturers and retailers and automotive specialists, including a media and trade reception and the opportunity for press and trade to test drive the latest vehicles.

The National Automotive Industry Day is also intended to offer those in the automotive industry the opportunity to meet and network in the absence of other major shows in late 2020 and early 2021, of 

We are putting Britain back on the map as a host country for a major global automotive event, so we want to make the Automotive Industry Day as significant as the Show itself.

We are expecting over 500 members of the UK mainstream and automotive press to join us on the day, which will give the industry the platform it needs to show the world why we are one of the most important be global players in the automotive industry.

More details of the days exciting programme of workshops keynote speakers and events will follow soon.

Get your tickets here

Keynote speakers & Panel Members

Steve Nash - CEO
The institute of the Motor Industry

Steve has worked in the Motor Industry, on both the retail and manufacturer sides, since graduating in 1977. Steve joined BMW UK in 1986 and was a Director of the company from 1997 to 2012, during which time he held responsibilities for all Group brands, including Rover, Land Rover, MINI and Rolls Royce, as well as BMW. Steve was Chairman of the IMI for five years, before becoming President in November 2009. In 2013 he joined the IMI as Chief Executive Officer. In addition to his IMI duties Steve is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the industry charity BEN.
Technology

Jonathan Hewitt - CEO
Thatcham Research

Jonathan is Chief Executive of Thatcham Research. Globally recognised, Thatcham Research carries out research and testing for car safety and vehicle security systems, training and apprentices and supply of data that insurers use to define a car’s insurance grouping
technology

Daksh Gupta - CEO
Marshall Motor Holdings

Daksh has over 28 years’ experience in the automotive retail sector and joined Marshalls in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer. Daksh was a Franchise Director for Inchcape for seven years where he was responsible for the Volkswagen, Audi & Mercedes brands. Daksh has also served as COO of Accident Exchange Group PLC and Group Managing Director for Ridgeway Group. Daksh was a director of Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) limited until 2nd April 2015 and is vice chairman of the UK automotive industry charity, BEN. Daksh is also a Patron of the Automotive Thirty Percent Club.
Retail

Fiona Howarth
Chief Executive
Octopus Electric Vehicles

Fiona Howarth is a leading force in the electric vehicle revolution in the UK, heading up Octopus Electric Vehicles (part of Octopus Energy Group) and championing the transition to EVs. Bringing an enthusiastic energy to the industry with a passion for teaching others, Fiona not only focuses on delivering an amazing service but also ensuring that everyone has access to honest and reliable information. As a mother of two young girls, Fiona looks to their future as motivation to continue work in the EV field.
Electric Cars

Paul Hendy - CEO
Hendy Group

Paul is Chief Executive of Hendy Group. The Group operates from 65 sites across Southern England with a turnover of £1.0 billion & representing 20 franchises. Still a family run business, it was founded more than 160 years ago, becoming Ford’s first UK dealer in 1910. Paul became involved at an early age working in the parts and service departments during summer holidays and believes that having been involved in all areas of the business has helped him forge a successful path, working his way up to become Managing Director in 2002, and appointed Chief Executive in 2016.
Retail

Stephen Hadrill
Director General
The FLA

Stephen was appointed Director general of The Finance and Leasing Association in 2019. Stephen has had an extensive Whitehall career, and also held numerous senior industry positions, including chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council and director general of the Association of British Insurers. He was selected for the position of director general by the FLA’s board led by chairman Richard Jones.
Finance

Rachael Prasher
Managing Director
Haymarket Automotive

Rachael is an experienced Managing Director of media businesses operating in a wide range of markets including Automotive & Technology. She currently heads up Haymarkets Automotive division which includes the Autocar and What Car? brands.
industry

Peter Boutwood
Managing Director
Noble

Peter is Managing Director of British supercar manufacturer Noble. Originally formed in 2000 by ex racing driver, Noble have plans to release an all new british Supercar in the next 12 months.
OEM

Mike Rutherford
World Car of the Year Awards

Mike Rutherford is a respected UK motoring journalist with over 30 years experience and part of the team behind the launch of Auto Express. Mike is chairman of the World Car Of The Year awards and a vocal supporter of British Motor industry.
Speaker

Shahzad Sheikh
Automotive Journalist
AKA 'The Brown Car Guy"

Shahzad Sheikh is a motoring journalist with over three decades of experience and has worked extensively both in the UK and Middle East. This includes hosting 'The Autocrats', a car show on FOX MENA region TV channels in 2018, running the Middle East edition of Car Magazine and founding Motoring Middle East. Prior to this he was News Editor at UK-based Automotive Research Firm JATO Dynamics, Deputy Editor during the reinvention of Used Car Buyer magazine and launch Editor of the award-winning Parkers.co.uk website. Shahzad started his career in 1989 becoming Saudi Arabia's first motoring journalist writing for the Saudi Gazette and Arab News. A British-born Asian, he returned to the UK at the end of 2018 and has freelanced for numerous publications including DriveTribe.com, BritishAsiaNews.com, and Asian Leader newspaper, whilst establishing his own unique automotive content brand, #BrownCarGuy
Diversity

Charlie Martin
British Racing Driver
Motorsports

Charlie Martin is a game changer in motorsport, her story has captured the imagination of people around the world. As a transgender woman in motorsport, she occupies a unique role within her sport and the LGBTQ+ community, having faced incredible adversity to become her true authentic self. Her tenacity & self-belief have helped her to overcome the impossible and push for change when the odds were stacked against her. She started hillclimbing at club level in a Peugeot 205 (in 2004), without any family history of motorsport. In 2014 she won her first race in France at St-Gouëno at the wheel of a Westfield SEiW, breaking the class record by 2 seconds! Entering motorsport is hard enough, but she also transitioned to live as female midway through her career in 2012. She recorded her entire transition on her Youtube channel, helping to inspire 1,000’s of people all over the World to begin their own journey.
Diversity

Sessions and topics on the day include

Diversity in the Automotive Industry

How diverse is the UK automotive industry? Are we a progressive industry that welcomes all or is the industry still suffering from deep seated prejudice and a lack of diversity? Our panel will reflect a diverse cross section of society, all of whom work within the industry, and will ask what can we do to ensure that we are a progressive industry that offers equal opportunity to all and encourages a diverse workforce.

The road to 2030

Following the governments announcement that the sale of new pure ICE Petrol and Diesel cars will be banned from 2030 we will be looking at the reality behind the headline. Our session, lead by a major industry speaker will ask a panel of experts to talk about what the industry and society needs to be doing to ensure we are ready for this transition, covering topics such as Infrastructure, Home charging, power supply, ICE residuals, affordability and other drivetrain options.

Uk Automotive Trade News

Get your tickets here

Press registration

Press registration for The British Motor Show 2021 is open now and includes the National Automotive Industry Day. Register here for your press tickets

Trade involvement

If you are interested in taking part in National Automotive Industry day, eitehr as a Keynote speaker, Panel member of sponsor please contact the Automotion Events team by email at Enquire@automotion.live




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