Ian Twinley
Ian Twinley joined Ford Motor Company in 1979 as an Engineering Trainee. He finished his apprenticeship in 1983 and then held a number of appointments in Ford of Britain, Ford of Europe and Ford U.S.A.
Ian also attended a Ford sponsored Management MBA Program.
In 2002 he joined John Grose Group as Chairman. John Grose is a multi franchise Dealer Group established in 1888 with a turnover of £150 million, employing four hundred staff. John Grose has won the Chairman’s award for Customer Satisfaction 16 times, and is ranked one of the top Ford Dealers in the Country.
Ian is also a Vice President of Group1 automotive, a Fortune 500 Retailer that owns 40 UK Dealerships that includes BMW, Audi and Ford. They employ 2300 people in the UK.
Ian travelled to Afghanistan in 2008 and spent time with Suffolk based reservists serving in Kandahar and Camp Bastion. He is a Deputy Lieutenant and voluntary Chair of the East Anglian Reserve Forces REEG.
Ian was Chairman of Team Ipswich for five years and a Trustee of the Inspire Suffolk Charity for three years. He is a fellow at Suffolk New College and loves spending time motivating the students. Ian is Chairman of the Suffolk Skills Show initiative that last year attracted over 4,500 students.
Both he and his wife Alison have a passion for historical buildings, for the past nine years have been renovating a tired Georgian parkland property. They are also keen fundraisers and in the past five years events at their property have raised over £400,000 for local charities.
Ian’s participation has been made possible through Speakers for Schools partnership with the UK Automotive 30% Club and his school talks will include a focus on inspiring girls to consider opportunities in the automotive sector and encouraging all students to aim high.