Andrew Palmer joins Ashok Leyland's subsidiary Optare as Non-executive Chairman

World-renowned automotive leader Andrew Palmer is joining Ashok Leyland's subsidiary Optare Plc as Non-executive Chairman.

He will replace John Fickling who is stepping down as Chairman due to personal reasons after more than a decade of association with Optare, a leading British manufacturer of urban buses with a modern assembly facility in Sherburn near Leeds, Yorkshire.

The company employs more than 400 people. Its range of buses feature an integral design, zero-emissionelectric drives and low emission efficient diesel drivetrains utilising the latest low carbon technology.

"The next phase of Optare's growth is centred on expanding our electric vehicles business in the UK and many new markets," said Ashok Leyland's Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja.

"With his impressive wealth of experience and innovative approach, I am confident that under Palmer's Chairmanship we will see Optare moving to a higher growth trajectory soon," he said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Palmer is a world-renowned automotive leader, having led transformations at two of the global vehicle brands, Nissan and Aston Martin. This role builds on his established relationship with Optare's parent Ashok Leyland where he has been a non-executive member of the board since 2015.

( With inputs from ANI )