McLaren Automotive has announced that it has appointed three new members to its board of directors. One of them is Charles Sanderson, who left McLaren to join Rivian Automotive. Sanderson was head of software development for the company when he left the British automaker in 2018. At Rivian, he was vice president of vehicle integration and development and became chief engineer of the company in 2019.
With the recent appointment, Sanderson is back at McLaren as technical director. Sanderson will lead the automaker’s new technology roadmap and product innovation strategy, McLaren said in a press release.
Sanderson’s decision to leave Rivian would have been of his own free will, according to the company spokesperson who spoke to Automotive News. However, this came at a time when Rivian was having issues with its production and several senior executives had left their posts.
Besides Sanderson, key members of the EV startup who left were Randy Frank, who served as vice president of body and interior engineering, and Steve Gawronski, who was vice president in responsible for parts purchasing and the supply chain. Both executives have been with Rivian for a long time and left in early 2023.
Meanwhile, other McLaren management appointments include Jorg Laser and Emmanuele Raveglia.
Jorg Laser, an experienced procurement, logistics and supplier quality professional in the global automotive industry, was recently named the company’s new chief purchasing officer (CPO). He previously worked with companies such as General Motors, MAN Trucks, Autoliv and WayRay AG.
Emmanuele Raveglia has been named executive director of the vehicle line. Prior to joining McLaren, Raveglia worked at Ferrari as a vehicle line director for the F8 Tributo, 488 Pista and Purosangue.
McLaren CEO Michael Leiters expressed his delight at securing the services of three experienced industry professionals. He believes their knowledge, skills and background will be invaluable in implementing the organization’s Future of Performance strategy.
