Aston Martin attracts Bentley-boss Hallmark as new CEO

Aston Martin has appointed the boss of luxury car rival Bentley its next CEO. The British luxury sports car producer stipulates that Adrian Hallmark will replace current CEO Amedeo Felisa by October 1st this year.

The new boss joins the London-listed carmaker from high-end luxury rival Bentley Motors, where he has led an improvement in financial performance since taking the helm in 2018. This appointment comes amid a key year for Aston Martin as it pushes forward with producing its new Valhalla supercar.

The most desirable British brand?

Lawrence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin and major shareholder, commented: “When Amedeo was appointed CEO, I spoke of him leading a new phase of growth and development. Two years later, we have delivered on that promise as we near completion of our thrilling new product portfolio and move closer to our vision of becoming the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British performance brand.”

“I’d like to personally pay tribute to Amedeo, recognizing not just what he has achieved at Aston Martin but throughout his long and distinguished career at the very top of the ultra-luxury automotive industry,” Stroll continued. “I am pleased that Amedeo will remain in post until Adrian joins and will continue to oversee the launch of our upcoming products.”

“With Adrian Hallmark, we are attracting one of the highest-caliber leaders not just in our segment but in the entire global automotive industry, “Stroll concluded. “Complementing our world-class leadership, Adrian will bring to Aston Martin unrivaled experience in both the ultra-luxury and British manufacturing sectors to progress our strategy and continue recent momentum.”

Exciting era

Adrian Hallmark reacted: “Like many working within the ultra-luxury segment, I have admired the continued transformation of Aston Martin’s brand and products from afar and feel honored to have the opportunity to work with Lawrence, the Board, and the Company’s employees to lead its next chapter.”

“The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry,” Hallmark added. I look forward to continuing the company’s great momentum and utilizing my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.”

Current CEO Felisa added: “It has been a great privilege to serve as Aston Martin’s chief executive officer, leading our iconic brand through this exciting era. I am incredibly proud of the progress made over the last two years, which has aligned Aston Martin for a positive future direction. I believe now is the right time for the company to transition to new leadership.”

EV postponed

Aston Martin shares moved higher on Friday morning. Recently, Aston Martin announced that it was postponing the market launch of its first electric car by one year, citing low customer demand. Instead of 2025, as previously planned, the first BEV from Aston Martin will not be launched until 2026.

When asked which segment the company aimed for, Stroll answered: “At this point, we’re not willing to let the cat out of the bag regarding exactly what the BEVs are.”

He further explained that the company estimates the demand is not far off, though: “We believe that the consumer demand is not at the pace analysts and politicians thought. We also believe it will be there in the future; it’s not going away. We think there’s a slight delay to the project.”

Big battles to come?

In the restrained but growing and still highly lucrative segment of the high-end luxury car business, the English-inspired – though no longer British-owned – car manufacturers intend to play an even bigger role in the future.

Bentley and Rolls-Royce are in the high-end luxury market, but if Jaguar’s plans are to come through in the years to come, the brand will be claiming its part of the cake here, too.

Where the luxury sports car market is concerned, VW Group daughter Bentley will not only have to fight foreign (mostly Italian) competition but, with Aston Martin’s ambitions and the backing and know-how of Chinese giant Geely, it will have a fiercer competitor on British soil, too.