Ron Dennis

About Ron Dennis

Ron was head of the world-beating McLaren Formula 1 team from 1980 to 2009. Having announced his decision to step down as McLaren team principal in 2009, he made it clear – he was not retiring, but going to work harder, so that McLaren can “power through this recession”. Lauded as one of Britain’s most successful managers, he is known for combining an obsessive attention to detail with a powerful long-term vision.

At just 21, Dennis headed up engineering and mechanics for Australia’s triple world Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham. He created the McLaren International team in 1980 when he merged his own company, Project Four, with Team McLaren Limited. The outfit dominated Formula One in the 1980s and at either end of the 1990s, with four consecutive constructors’ titles. McLaren has competed in Formula One since 1966, but it was under Dennis that it achieved dominance in the 1990s, becoming the most successful Formula One team in history at that time, with 148 Grands Prix wins. The team has also claimed eleven Formula One Drivers’ World Championships and eight Formula One World Constructors’ Championships.

Ron’s McLaren has been called a frictionless machine and he reveals how to create a culture that brings together the top talent from your industry and unites them behind a common goal.

His truly captivating and highly motivating presentations are not to be missed. His insights into to the establishing of a world class company, that continually pushes forward the frontiers of technical design and application in many fields of advanced engineering, are relevant to every industry.