Ian Robertson

Ian Stuart Robertson, born on 5 June 1958 in Oswestry, Shropshire, is an English businessman and automotive executive who has been on the board of management of BMW Group since 2008, the first Briton to hold that role, with responsibility for sales and brand BMW and aftersales. He graduated in maritime studies from the University of Wales, Cardiff in 1979 and joined Rover Group the same year as a graduate trainee. He held plant director roles and became purchasing director, then managing director of Land Rover in 1994, the year BMW acquired Rover Group. He became managing director of BMW South Africa in 1999. In 2005 he returned to England as chairman and chief executive of BMW's subsidiary Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, where he oversaw steady sales growth and was involved in developing the Rolls-Royce Ghost. He received an honorary DSc from Aston University in 2011 and a CMG in 2012.