Persuasion, bankruptcy and ‘air cover’ in the boardroom, with Andy Palmer, ex-CEO, Aston Martin

In this episode:

”We would never have got the Nissan Leaf to market had it not been for the unwavering support of the CEO. He gave us the air cover.”

This week’s guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Andy Palmer, dubbed ‘The Godfather of Electric Vehicles’, he is the former Chief Operating Officer at Nissan and the former CEO of the iconic car maker, Aston Martin. 

He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including persuading Nissan’s board to invest in the first mass-market electric vehicle, and taking on a heritage company, Aston Martin, that was facing bankruptcy. 

Andy introduces us to the Japanese concept of Nemawashi, the process of building consensus and gathering support for a decision before a formal announcement. He compares that to what he calls  ”a typical, more confrontational, western board”.

He also talks about the importance of making sure board members are properly prepared for meetings, nervousness in the boardroom, and why he believes every FTSE chairman should sit on a startup board.

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