James Dyson steps down as company chairman
Sir James Dyson, who founded the Dyson company, will step down from his role as chairman in the next few months.
Dyson’s new role will focus more on inventing and engineering, and although his formal job title is yet to be confirmed, it is expected to be akin to chief engineer.
Bob Ayling, the company’s current vice-chairman, will replace Dyson in a move that has been expected within the company for some time.
Dyson says, ‘Bob has vision and an incisive mind; for the past seven years he has worked with our excellent chief executive Martin McCourt to help steer Dyson to global success. It now makes good sense to ask Bob to step up and become chairman.’
The announcement comes a week after the release of Dyson’s report for the Conservative Party, which outlines proposals to stimulate British industry. Despite speculation that the move further signals that the inventor is preparing for a role in a potential Tory administration, this has been denied by Dyson.
He says, ’I am an inventor, not a politician. There is no job offer from the Conservatives but I am encouraged that they’re taking science and technology seriously.’
The Dyson Report ‘Ingenious Britain’ is relatively sound. It’s just a shame he has chosen to call himself an ‘Inventor’ now rather than an Industrial Designer.
The report whilst science and engineering biased did not the less recognise the role of industrial design as a critical factor in the innovation process.
But we really could have done with him acknowledging himself as an industrial designer so that government might better understand the value such designers create.