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Thatcham names new chief executive

Thatcham Research has appointed Jonathan Hewett as chief executive, succeeding Peter Shaw who stepped down earlier this year.

Jonathan Hewett joins Thatcham Research as chief executive from 7 January 2019

Hewett’s appointment is effective from 7 January 2019 and will see him help steer the organisation to realise its vision of ‘Safer cars, fewer crashes’ as it approaches its 50th anniversary while driving standards in vehicle security.

Hewett joins from Octo Telematics where he was global chief marketing officer and drove business growth at Board level. Prior to this, he has held various senior leadership and international roles across the automotive, insurance and finance sectors, including AIG, Dealflo Ltd, Dixons PLC, Post Office Direct, Sainsbury’s Bank and Barclays Bank.

He commented: “We are amid once-in-a-lifetime changes to our relationship with cars and mobility in general. The consequent impact on insurers and the automotive sector present enormous opportunities to improve consumer experience and efficiency for businesses. Over the last 50 years, Thatcham Research has provided crucial insight and data driven analysis for insurers and the automotive industry as a whole, and I am very much looking forward to working with the team in pursuit of our vision – safer cars and fewer crashes.”

Hewett succeeds Peter Shaw, who stepped down in June due to ill health. Shaw had been chief executive as well as a Board member for seven years and is credited with steering the organisation through a period of notable change as it becomes increasingly recognised as a global centre of excellence for assisted and automated driving assessment and testing. Global product director Neale Phillips and finance director Ruth McRitchie have been managing strategic duties during the interim.

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.