Martin McCourt – Former CEO, Dyson

Topical keynote Speakers & Experts -

Martin McCourt has spent over 40 years working at the heart of British-based manufacturing, design and marketing for quality brands such as Dyson, Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.

Martin was the CEO of Dyson for 15 years, the ideas to market-leading consumer products maker.

As CEO at Dyson, he devised and implemented a strategy that transformed the company from a single product, single market producer into one where 80% of the business came from over 60 markets worldwide.

Martin increased UK skilled jobs, grew profits to over £300m and enabled James Dyson to keep on inventing.

In 2011 Dyson hit £1 billion revenue for the first time. Martin was directly responsible for establishing Dyson subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
In total, he took Dyson into over 60 markets, achieving market leadership in the majority, including the USA.

Martin’s previous experience was in sales and marketing with successful global companies Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.

In 2010 Martin was named UK Business Leader of the Year.

As Chief Executive of Dyson, Martin transformed it from a niche manufacturer to a £1bn global brand, moving production to Asia.

Even after the onset of recession, he doubled turnover and trebled profits – increasing sales in 70 markets.

Having worked in sales and marketing for brands including Duracell, Toshiba and Mars, Martin was drafted in by James Dyson to expand the company and drive it towards market dominance.

He was given control of the commercial side of the business leaving James to focus on the design, engineering and innovation aspects.

Alongside a new brand strategy, Martin transferred manufacturing to Asia whilst increasing skilled jobs in the UK, and expanded into new global markets. On his departure, Dyson revenue had exceeded £1bn and the business was a brand leader around the world drawing 80% of its income from over 60 worldwide markets and with operations in the US, Japan and Germany.Martin explores the importance of innovation, the role of leadership, and the differences (and similarities) between large and small businesses in a passionate, humorous and insightful presentation.

He looks at growing a business in challenging times, expanding overseas, and the importance of manufacturing and export to the UK economy.

MARTIN MCCOURT CURRENT CHAIR AND NON-EXECUTIVE POSITIONS INCLUDE:

COMPO

In August 2021, Martin McCourt was appointed as Chairman of COMPO, a leading European producer and distributor of gardening soil, fertiliser, lawn seed and products for plant protection with a focus on organic ingredients.

Pure Electric

In December 2020, Martin was appointed as Chairman of Putre Electric. The business is focused on designing and developing high-performance, zero-emission, personal electric transportation.

Tharsus

In November 2020, Martin joined the Board of Tharsus as a Non-Executive Director. Tharsus design and manufacture Strategic Machines that solve challenging automation problems for Businesses, driving performance and productivity.

Weber

In January 2019, Martin joined the Board of Weber as a Non-Executive Director and strategic adviser. Based in Chicago, Weber is the most recognised name globally for barbecue grills and has the most comprehensive range of products and services in the industry.

FreeFlow Technologies

In October 2018, Martin was appointed as Chairman to FreeFlow Technologies, a dynamic UK start-up, developing a lightweight, compact, high-performance e-bike drive system backed by Williams Advanced Engineering and Foresight PE.

SPEAKING TOPICS INCLUDE:

International Expansion
Business Growth
Leadership
Disruption
Research & Development
Business Strategy
Manufacturing and Engineering
Innovation
Confronting Failure
Think Big and Stay Small
Transferring Manufacturing Overseas
Vertical Growth