Ulrich Helmut Bez (born 7. November 1943 in

Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt, also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart's b ...

, Germany) is a German businessman and was, until the end of 2013, CEO of

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...

motorcars when he stepped down to serve as non-executive chairman.

Life

Bez holds a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in engineering from the

Technical University of Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

. At various times throughout his career he has been responsible for product design and development at

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

, BMW and

Daewoo Motors Daewoo Motors ( ) was a South Korean automotive company established in 1937 as "National Motors". The company changed its name several times until 1982 when it became "Daewoo Motors" following its acquisition by the Daewoo Group. After running ...

. While at Porsche, he led vehicle research and development and motor sport programmes in

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

and

World Endurance Championship World Endurance Championship may refer to: * FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series held since 2012 * World Sportscar Championship, an auto racing series which used the title World Endurance Championship from 1981 to 1985 * Endura ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

and

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

. He directed design and development of the 911 Turbo, the Carrera RS 2.7, the

968 Year 968 ( CMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Nikephoros II receives a Bulgarian embassy led by Prince Boris (th ...

and the

993 Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian ...

. Bez was the first director of BMW Technik GmbH (BMW Technology), developing a BMW V8 concept engine which helped to replace the big inline six-cylinder with an eight-cylinder engine, a DCT, voice activated car systems as well as the world's first acoustic wind tunnel and the responsibility for the design of the

BMW Z1 The BMW Z1 is the first model in BMW's line of Z series roadsters (two-seater convertibles), and was produced in limited numbers from 1989 to 1991. The Z1 is unique for its plastic body panels and vertically sliding doors which drop into the ...

, a leading concept in its time for modularity, material, aerodynamics and safety. At Daewoo Motors, Bez was vice president of engineering from 1993–1998, helping Daewoo Motors to become a globally recognized brand, involved with the development and launch of a series of models such as the

Daewoo Matiz Daewoo ( ; Hangul: , Hanja: , ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "dae" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerat ...

- the first four-door mini car,

Daewoo Lanos The Daewoo Lanos is a compact / sedan car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Daewoo from 1997 to 2002, and thereafter produced under license agreements in various countries worldwide. It has also been marketed as the Daewoo Sens, ZAZ Sens ...

Daewoo Leganza The Daewoo Leganza is an executive sedan car that was manufactured and marketed by the automobile manufacturer Daewoo. The Leganza was available as a four-door Sedan with front engine, front-wheel drive, four door, five passenger sedan of type of ...

and the

Daewoo Nubira Daewoo Nubira is a compact car which was produced by the South Korean automaker Daewoo from 1997 to 2002 as a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback and a 5-door station wagon. Development The Daewoo Nubira (J100 platform) was released in 1997 refle ...

. Before he became the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

and

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. in July 2000, he was a business advisor to the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

. Under his leadership Aston Martin has developed into a global recognized luxury brand, selling more than 50,000 cars in 13 years, more than three times the number sold from 1913 to 2000. Under his leadership the company developed and launched - based on the VH architecture which he initiated - 20 major car models, including the DB9, the V8 and V12 Vantage, the Vanquish and the four-door Rapide, as well as the supercar

One-77 The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door, two-seater flagship sports car built by the British car manufacturer Aston Martin. The car was first shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, although it remained mostly covered by a "Savile Row tailored skirt" ...

, the V12 Zagato and the

Cygnet A cygnet is a young swan. Cygnet may also refer to: Places *Cygnet Island, a small islet in south-eastern Australia *Cygnet, Ohio, a village in the United States *Cygnet River, South Australia, a locality on Kangaroo Island *Cygnet, Tasmania, a ...

, a concept addressing the needs of a crowded metropolis. Under his leadership the company also returned to motorsport with the GT1, GT2, GT3, GT4, and GTE cars. Bez is also a keen racing driver and in the

24 Hours Nürburgring 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

endurance race achieved 24th place in 2006, 126th place in 2007, 27th place in 2008 (all in an

Aston Martin Vantage __NOTOC__ Aston Martin has used the Vantage name on a number of vehicles, normally indicating a high-performance version of another model. In one case, during 1972–1973, the Vantage was a distinct model, being a straight-6 The straight-six ...

N24), and 21st place in the 2009 race (the race debut of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage). He has also run the

1959 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 27th 24 Hours of Le Mans, Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 20 and 21 June 1959, on Circuit de la Sarthe. It was also the fourth round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. The prospect of an ...

winning

Aston Martin DBR1 The Aston Martin DBR1 was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time. It is most famous as the victor of the 1959 24 Hours o ...

in the

Le Mans Legend The Le Mans Legend is a vintage sports car race held during the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities. Created in 2001, it was created by the Motor Racing Legends group, and supported by the ACO, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unlike other vin ...

race together with racing legend Sir Stirling Moss. In 2013 Bez published a book, ''Making Aston Martin'', which describes his background as well as his work at Aston Martin. Bez lectured in 2013 and 2014 in Harvard, Columbia, Chicago Booth, UVA Darden, LBS, Kings College, INSEAD, Erasmus, and EBS. In 2014 Bez joined ALSET, a technology company targeting zero emission in combustion engines with a hydrogen hybrid concept, as a non-executive vice chairman. He also served as an advisory board member for the Althoff Hotel Collection from 2012 to 2015. In 2017 Bez joined the board of Magnis Energy Technologies as a non-executive director. A battery and technology company with a graphite mine that has strong prospects to become a major producer and supply many industries with very high quality graphite material for batteries and aerospace initiatives. Bez stated: "In my career, I have overseen many projects shaping the future in various areas of the automotive industry, sometimes 10 to 20 years ahead of implementation." "The Nachu Graphite Project has attributes that can and will make a huge contribution to the automotive industry due to the quality of its graphite resource. The team at Magnis and their expertise in the lithium-ion battery industry, which includes the inventor of the Lithium-ion battery, is testament to the quality of the Project and the Company as a whole. I'm excited to join the Board and help take Magnis to the next stage of its development."

Awards

* 1980 Safety award from NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety USA at ESV Conference in Kyoto * 2007 German-British Forum Dialogue Award "Dr. Ulrich Bez Receives Prestigious Award"
''Aston Martin PR'' * 2012 Honorary doctor degree HonDTech from Solent University in Southampton UK * 2013 ADAC award for special contribution to the Nuerburgring and the 24 hours race

Literature

* Ulrich Bez: ''Making Aston Martin''. teNeues Verlag, 2013,

References

External links

''Automobile'', Marc Noordeloos, Georg Kacher, April, 2007

''Edmund's Inside Line'', Alistair Weaver, Mar 19, 2007

''Leaders magazine'', Jan 2009, *Making Aston Marti

teNeues Verlag August 2013, {{DEFAULTSORT:Bez, Ulrich 1943 births Aston Martin Chief executives in the automobile industry German automobile designers German chief executives Living people Businesspeople from Stuttgart Racing drivers from Baden-Württemberg Aston Martin Racing drivers Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers