Team Lotus Senior Management

[Mark H]

RIAD ASMAT

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

 

Riad Asmat’s career has been driven by a passion for motorsports.

Soon after graduating from Western Michigan University, Riad joined the world’s premier sportswear company, Nike.

Based in Malaysia, he joined the public relations division.

It was at Nike where he cultivated his deep passion and love for sports.

As part of his role with Nike, he had to work closely with the various government agencies, sports associations and sports officials.

While his personal interest was sports, he was equally committed to achieving the objectives of his company and enhancing Nike’s image and position in the Malaysian sports market.

His obsession for sports has been a major factor throughout his career.

While he enjoyed sports, from football and karting to golf, his keen interest in motorsports developed further when he joined the Sepang International Circuit.

This became evident when he was with the courier company UPS where Riad developed a sponsorship programme for several race car drivers.

His interest in motorsports reached its pinnacle when he joined Proton in 2006.

At Proton, Riad with his vast experience in running the operations in global companies (like at UPS) combined with the personal keenness in motorsports, was soon able to help the national car company further develop its motorsports programme.

Riad played a central role in Proton’s motorsports programme which includes R3 and the Proton Axle Team.

He was in charge of overseeing the various motorsports programmes and managed, from Proton’s end, the company’s involvement in the A1 Grand Prix.

Riad’s expertise and vast experience in operations has resulted in Proton’s motorsports programmes being developed to a fairly successful level.

Under his belt, new Malaysian-managed motor racing teams have been created and young potential Malaysian drivers have been given the opportunity to race.

As CEO of Team Lotus Riad provides the sort of dynamic and success-oriented leadership that the Anglo-Malaysian team requires.

His knowledge of motorsports coupled with his vast experience contributes daily to the success of the team.

 

 

MIKE GASCOYNE

CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER

 

Mike Gascoyne is one of the most renowned technicians in Formula 1™ and has carved out an illustrious career at the pinnacle of international motorsport over the last two decades.

Having studied for a Ph.D

.

in fluid dynamics at Cambridge University throughout the 1980s, Mike’s passion for motorsport took him into the world of Formula 1™ for the first time in 1989 when he joined the McLaren team as an aerodynamicist.

At the turn of the 1990s, Mike took up a brief sojourn as Chassis Dynamicist at Tyrrell working under famed designer Harvey Postlethwaite, which led to a three-year post as Head of Aerodynamics at Sauber, where he stayed until 1993.

The following season saw Mike return to the Tyrrell team in the more senior role of Deputy Technical Director, a position he held until the team’s demise in 1998.

That year, Mike joined the Jordan Grand Prix team as Technical Director and led the team to its most successful season ever in 1999 with two race victories, six podiums and third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

During the 2000 season Mike was approached to join the Benetton team, which was to become Renault in 2002.

In his Technical Director capacity, Mike transformed the team into a winning operation, taking Renault to its debut victory in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Having established himself as a man capable of turning around team fortunes, Mike was snapped up by the relatively new Toyota team at the end of 2003.

Although unable to have much impact on its 2004 challenger, Mike set about developing the team’s 2005 race car.

The Cologne-based squad enjoyed its most competitive year in Formula 1™ that season with five trips to the podium and an overall fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

2006 saw Mike move back to the UK to become Chief Technology Officer for the Spyker F1™ team in time for the 2007 season in which the team was to sensationally lead a rain-hit European Grand Prix.

In 2008, Spyker was taken over and renamed Force India with Mike retaining his role.

The highlight of that year was seeing team driver Adrian Sutil running in a competitive fourth place in the Monaco GP before after another driver crashed into him just seven laps from the end of the race.

After leaving Force India before the 2009 season, Mike made his Formula 1™ return with Lotus Racing as Chief Technical Officer, confounding all expectations by designing, building and racing a modern F1™ car in just six months.

The successful conclusion of the 2010 season was another first for Mike, helping lead the team from literally four people in September 2009 to over 220 in January 2011 when it fired up its new car in the Team Lotus colours for the first time on January 26th.

 

 

KEITH SAUNT

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (UK)

 

Keith Saunt has an enviable career in the top flight of motor racing and his move to the new Lotus Racing squad as Chief Operations Officer in 2009 saw his Formula 1™ career come full circle.

Born and bred in Norwich, UK, Keith started his racing profession at Team Lotus International where he worked with Clive Chapman in the Purchasing and Logistics department.

Keith then moved to the Benetton Formula 1™ team, initially heading up the Buying department.

He quickly assumed responsibility for all internal manufacturing as well as all purchasing and logistics.

He was latterly to become Special Projects Manager at the team, leading a number of engineering and operational projects throughout the business.

In 1999, he took a short break away from Formula 1™ but soon returned to the sport with the Renault team as Head of Manufacturing.

In this key role, Keith was responsible for all project management, manufacturing, purchasing, production and management reporting.

In 2006, Keith was offered the Chief Operating Officer role at Red Bull Racing, managing the team’s Formula 1™ facility in Milton Keynes.

Shortly after assuming this post, he was asked by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz to become Director of Red Bull Technology charged with delivering a brand new manufacturing centre which enhanced the overall capability of the Red Bull Racing team.

Keith left Red Bull in 2008 and in 2009 joined Lotus Racing as COO, reporting directly to Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne, to help establish the team’s racing operations at its UK facility in Hingham.

As COO of Team Lotus he has played an integral role in the establishment of the team as a serious force in F1™ for the long-term, a fitting accolade for someone with Keith’s experience.

 

MIA SHARIZMAN

HEAD OF OPERATIONS (ASIA)

 

Mia Sharizman has a total of 12 years experience in motorsports, starting with organizing the MotoGP in 1998 to helming the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) as its CEO since 2008.

Upon graduating from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1996 with an LLB (Hons) and subsequently accepted to the Malaysian Bar in 1997, Mia Sharizman joined Malaysia Airports Management and Technical Services Sdn Bhd in 1997 as a junior executive.

After successfully organizing the MotoGP event in 1998, Mia became among the pioneer staff members of the Sepang International Circuit in 1998.

He spent 5 years with SIC rising from Legal Officer to Events Coordinator, Broadcasting Manager and eventually Manager of Events and Operations Services.

In 2003, Mia was offered the opportunity by Motorsport Asia Limited (MAL) to embark on an ambitious project to organise and promote the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Formula BMW Asia, and the Asian Touring Car series’.

For the next 5 years as the General Manager, he gained experience in organising and undertaking all operational matters of the series and the Asia Festival of Speed events in every circuit in Asia and the Middle-East.

In late 2008, Mia took on the challenge to be the Chief Executive of the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM), striving to improve and change the face of Malaysian Motorsports by enhancing its development programme to move the sport forward in Malaysia.

In 2009 he accepted the huge responsibility of helping create a new F1™ team from nothing, and now plays a key role in helping Team Lotus reach its long-term goals.

 

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