Ralf Speth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Ralf Speth
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Speth in 2012
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| Born |
Ralf Dieter Speth
9 September 1955 |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | Warwick Manufacturing Group |
| Occupation | Automotive industry executive |
| Known for | Former CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. |
| Title | Chairman, TVS Motor Company, Additional director of Tata Sons |
| Successor | Thierry Bolloré |
Sir Ralf Dieter Speth, born on September 9, 1955, is a German business leader. He is well-known for his work in the car industry. From 2010 to 2020, he was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Jaguar Land Rover, a famous car company. Since 2022, he has been the chairman of the Indian company TVS Motor Company. He is also a director at Tata Sons.
Contents
Education and Early Life
Ralf Speth studied engineering in Germany. He earned a degree from the University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim. Later, he continued his studies at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. There, he earned a special doctorate degree in mechanical engineering and business.
Career in the Car Industry
Starting at BMW
Ralf Speth began his career in the car world in 1980. He started working for BMW, a well-known German car maker. He stayed with BMW for 20 years, learning a lot about how cars are made and managed.
Moving to Other Companies
In 2002, he joined The Linde Group, a company that works with gases and engineering. He was in charge of their global operations. After that, in 2007, he returned to the car industry. He joined Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group. This group included luxury car brands.
Leading Jaguar Land Rover
In February 2010, Ralf Speth became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). This happened after Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. Under his leadership, JLR grew a lot. The company hired many new people. He once said that JLR added over 17,000 jobs in five years.
Speth also strongly believed in research and development (R&D). This means investing money to create new technologies and improve cars. He claimed that JLR was the biggest R&D investor in the UK's car business.
Special Honors and New Roles
In 2015, Ralf Speth received a special honor. He was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This award was for his great work in the car industry. In 2019, he became a British citizen, and his knighthood became official.
In 2016, he became an honorary professor. This means he shared his knowledge with university students. In October 2016, he also joined the board of Tata Sons.
In January 2020, Ralf Speth announced he would step down as CEO of JLR. He retired from that role in September 2020. However, he continued to be a part of the JLR and Tata Sons boards. Thierry Bolloré took over as the new CEO of JLR.
In 2020, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for important scientists and engineers. In April 2022, he became the chairman of the Indian car company TVS Motor Company. In 2023, he received another honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick.
Personal Life
Ralf Speth is married and has two children. He divides his time between Leamington Spa in the UK and Munich in Germany.
