MAS view

The Manufacturing Summit shapes the debate between industry and government.

2012 sees the Manufacturing Summit tackle the important issues surrounding an industry that government is calling on to rescue the economy through wealth creation and export thus Making UK Manufacturing Internationally Competitive.

Simon was appointed to the role of Chief Executive at the Manufacturing Advisory Service - West Midlands in 2009 where he currently heads a team assisting Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing companies in the West Midlands to improve their business performance. From 1st January 2012, Simon will be one of the Directors responsible for delivering MAS across England in the new national service.

Prior to joining MAS-WM, he worked for 14 years at GKN in roles including Engineering Director and Programme Director within GKN AutoStructures. In 2000 he set up the Joint Venture between GKN and Dana to develop and produce chassis frames for the Range-Rover Sport and Discovery Vehicles where he was General Manager. More recently he has worked as Design and Development Director for GKN Wheels, and latterly as Global Technical Director for the GKN OffHighway Division.

Earlier in his career he worked for Adwest Johnson Controls and IHW Engineering, both SMEs based in Warwick. He initially worked for Land Rover in a range of Design and Development Engineering roles.

Simon is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Bath University, a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Simon is also a visiting Professor at Aston University's School of Engineering and Applied Science.