People

Jonathan Neale

Born on August 19 1962, Jonathan Neale studied physics at Nottingham before the joined the Philips-owned Defence & Control Systems company, working on the design of semi-conductors and electronic warfare systems for submarines and surface ships. After the firm was taken over by Thomson-CSF Neale moved on to join BAE Systems in 1991 and worked as a designer on turboprop aircraft before he took an MBA at Manchester. This resulted in him becoming BAE's operations director for regional jets and in 1999 managing director of BAE's Hawk programme, supplying training planes to airforces around the world. In 2001 he decided to move to McLaren Racing where he took the role of operations director before being promoted to managing director in April 2004.