Nick English, who co-founded luxury brand Bremont Watches with his brother Giles, has been appointed executive chairman of heritage automotive brand MOKE International.
English will spearhead a major growth phase for MOKE, which has already sold 500 vehicles to date, and is now in talks with strategic partners and investors.
His appointment is effective immediately, as current CEO Isobel Dando steps away from her role.
“Hiring Nick is a real coup for MOKE,” she said. “He is passionate about British engineering – be it flying planes, making watches or driving cars – and, as a serial entrepreneur, I believe he has exactly what we need to further develop the business.”
MOKE International owns the original 1964 European MOKE trademark; the famous Mini MOKE was conceived in the early 1960s as a military utility vehicle by Austin Mini designer Sir Alec Issigonis.
In 2023, an Electric MOKE was launched, helping the firm become the first heritage automotive brand to go 100% electric.
The cars are built in Northamptonshire – “just miles away from where the original MOKEs were built in the 1960s” – and the firm currently has a wating list of around 800 orders, which is worth $25m.
Pivotal time
English says he is joining MOKE at a “pivotal time… I look forward to working with the talented team to build on its legacy, continue and grow the manufacturing of the cars in the UK, and explore new opportunities for innovation and expansion”.
Impressively, the Electric MOKE has already been homologated for use in both Europe and the USA, and the company now plans to take it even further afield.
In 2022, MOKE attracted a bid worth $120m for the business, but remains proudly independent, and has raised $35m of investment to date.
After handing over Bremont to new management as part of a strategic investment round that valued it at £100m, English will now use his experience in manufacturing and lifestyle brands to further develop MOKE.
He will remain a board director of Bremont.