The power of delegation

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As the new Labour government looks for ways to drive the UK economy forward, our new podcast episode may hold some of the answers. We examine how the UK has become a world-leading hub for motorsport and advanced manufacturing. We do this by speaking to David Richards about the story behind his Prodrive business, which was founded 40 years ago.

Richards was on the podium at Silverstone on Sunday for the British Grand Prix, giving the third-place trophy to Lando Norris. He did so in his role as chairman of Motorsport UK, the governing body for four-wheel racing in the UK. That role highlights the status and success that Richards has enjoyed.

Prodrive employs around 800 people in the UK. It is a fascinating business, one that manufactures high-tech parts for a range of vehicles but also runs motorsport teams and makes sports kits. It is based on the outskirts of Banbury, Oxfordshire. In this area of the UK, you will find the headquarters of the majority of Formula 1 teams and a collection of advanced manufacturing businesses. Prodrive’s neighbours include the Haas F1 team and Collins Aerospace, which makes parts for planes.

Prodrive started off running rally teams before expanding into a range of different areas, including manufacturing. Richards helped Subaru, the Japanese car maker, to launch its world rally team in the 1990s and managed that team as Colin McRae became the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship in 1995.