Proactive Investors - Dyson said car industry veteran Hanno Kirner will become chief executive next month as the consumer electronics giant invests in battery cell development.
Kirner, who will replace Roland Krueger who led the firm for four years, has two decades of experience in Britain’s motor industry.
His appointment follows efforts by Dyson to build battery cells from a new site in Singapore, after relocating its headquarters in 2019.
Kirner brings “a wealth of experience across multiple industries,” founder James Dyson commented.
Dyson is looking to “double our portfolio of products and enter entirely new fields by 2025,” he added, including taking it “beyond the home”.
Dyson had previously scrapped plans to build an electric car in 2017 after £500 million worth of development failed to produce a “commercially viable” model.
Kirner most recently led battery work at Jaguar Land Rover parent Tata Motors, having also held executive roles at Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce (LON:RR).
He also sits on the board of trustees at the battery research body, Faraday Institution.
“The extraordinary leadership of Roland Krueger took the company through one of the most difficult times of recent memory,” James Dyson continued.
“Roland has successfully transformed the operation of the company and built a strong team that will be the foundation for the next steps of Dyson.”
Krueger is set to take on a board role when Kirner joins in February.