Automotive: McLaren names former exec at Ferrari, Porsche as CEO of supercar arm

British luxury supercar and hypercar maker McLaren Automotive announces the appointment of Michael Leiters as its new Chief Executive Officer from 1 July, 2022.

German-born Mr Leiters, 50, holds a doctorate in engineering and has held senior positions at Porsche AG and, more recently, was Chief Technology Officer at Ferrari.

Mr Leiters will be based at McLaren’s global-headquarters at the McLaren Technology Center and the adjoining McLaren Production Center in Surrey, England where all the company’s supercars and hypercars are hand-built.

Mr Leiters will lead the 3,000-strong workforce spanning all global activities, including the McLaren Composites Technology Center, instrumental in innovating technology for the company’s ground-breaking high-performance hybrid series production supercar the McLaren Artura, deliveries of which are soon to commence.

McLaren now has more than 100 retailers in over 40 territories around the globe. Despite the pandemic, McLaren continues to see strong customer demand, particularly for its limited-production models with both the 765LT Coupe and Spider variants entirely sold out along with the Ultimate Series Elva.

Paul Walsh, Executive Chairman, McLaren Group

“On behalf of everyone at McLaren, I am delighted to welcome Michael as the new CEO of McLaren Automotive. His extensive industry leadership experience combined with his passion for engineering and future technology will help guide and develop our team as we enter an exciting second decade.”

Michael Leiters, Chief Executive, McLaren Automotive

“I could not be more excited to be joining McLaren Automotive as CEO at this important moment in its journey. McLaren is already recognized as one of the world’s most admired luxury supercar companies. I look forward to growing that reputation for our loyal customers, employees, fans and partners as we write the next chapter in McLaren’s illustrious history.”