Last year, and after Aston Martin’s major shareholder Dar Investment hit a rough patch and had to sell some of its properties, Italian firm Investindustrial announced they will buy 37.5 of the British company. Now the deal is complete and the Italians are officially onboard, but big changes may be on the way as CEO Ulrich Bez is expected to step down over the next few months.
According to Autocar, sources close to company say Dr. Bez will be taking up a more ambassadorial role, after the new boss has eased into the transition and is ready to pick up where Bez left off.
Aston Martin enjoyed its best production and financial years under the leadership of Dr. Bez. He joined the company in 2000 and immediately began correcting the previous managerial team’s errors, starting with the DB7. Then came along the DB9, and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history.
Meanwhile, Investindustrial will bring in £150m of investment in the form of a capital increase. That is the first brick in a half a billion pound investment wall that will be made over the next five years – by shareholders Investindustrial, The Investment Dar, and Adeem Investment – to help the brand realise its ambitious growth strategy.