The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) has announced Martin Kendall, managing director of LOGISTEED UK Limited (formerly Vantec Europe Limited) as its new chair.
He takes over from Professor Matt Boyle OBE FREng, who has served as chair since 2010 and is a founding director of the NEAA.
At the recent NEAA Annual Awards Dinner, Matt received the Outstanding Contribution award in recognition of his long-term impact on the region’s automotive supply chain. Likewise, he was awarded an OBE for his commitment to engineering and skills and, more recently, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Based in Sunderland, Martin Kendall is responsible for the LOGISTEED UK operations at Nissan Motor Manufacturing, Komatsu UK, Thorn Lighting, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (R-RMC), Bentley Motors, BMW Swindon and Oxford transport, AESC Envision and GE Vernova.
Martin is a member of the LOGISTEED Global International Leadership Team and is co-chair of the LOGISTEED Global Automotive team.
Martin was also recognised for his outstanding contribution to the automotive sector at the 2024 NEAA Awards and has been a longstanding member of the NEAA Board.
Martin started his career at Nissan when the plant opened in 1986 working in material handling before moving into material handling engineering. He joined Vantec in 2002 and became managing director in 2011, overseeing the design and construction of two logistics centres in Sunderland, the Innovation Centre, the launch of business with R-RMC, Bentley, BMW, GE Vernova, AESC Envision and launching Vantec business in Russia, Mississippi and Chennai.
Paul Butler, chief executive, NEAA, said: “Matt Boyle has been a hugely influential figure on the North East manufacturing scene and has been an outstanding chair of the NEAA.
“His wisdom, guidance and clarity of thought, is something that I, as chief executive, have benefitted from on so many occasions and he has helped make us the organisation we are today. On behalf of the staff at the NEAA, the board of directors and the membership, I would like to thank Matt for the outstanding contribution he has made.
“We now welcome Martin Kendall as chair. A strategic thinker, Martin brings a leadership style that embraces continuous improvement, forward thinking, adaptability and innovation. He takes up the role of chair at a pivotal moment for the automotive sector, and we look forward to working with him and the Board to drive forward new opportunities and future growth.”
Professor Matt Boyle OBE FREng, said: “It has been an honour and privilege to lead this organisation’s board. The superb NEAA team have been an inspiration throughout my tenure, supporting the sector, membership and individuals. I know they will go from strength to strength. I wish Martin and the Executive Board, the NEAA team and the membership all the best for the future.”
Martin Kendall, said: “It is an honour to be asked to take over as the Chairman of the NEAA. I know I have big shoes to fill taking over from Matt.
“The NEAA has been growing in strength year on year since it began in March 2015 under the leadership of Paul and the NEAA team, becoming the largest automotive cluster in the UK and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we continue that growth and deliver on our commitment to be a true value-added alliance to all of our member companies.”
