Zak Brown joins McLaren as Executive Director

McLaren have named Zak Brown as the team’s new executive director as part of a shake-up following the departure of Ron Dennis.

The American Brown, an ex-Formula Three racer and the former chief of marketing company JMI, is due to take up his new role next month.

McLaren chairman and chief executive Dennis, 69, last week failed in an English High Court bid to stop the McLaren board from placing him on gardening leave until his contract expires in January.

McLaren are continuing their search for a new chief executive to replace Dennis, with Brown due to work alongside chief operating officer Jonathan Neale to align the group’s commercial and strategic operations.

Brown had been linked with a role with Formula One’s new owners Liberty Media before accepting the job at McLaren – a team he previously worked with on sponsorship deals.

“I’m immensely proud to be joining McLaren Technology Group,” Brown said in a statement.

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for what the business has achieved to date, and I look forward to contributing to the next important phase in its development.

“Having worked closely with McLaren for many years, I’ve been struck by the talent and ambition of the entire workforce, and I very much look forward to complementing the business’s many existing strengths, and building on them to drive future success in everything we do.”

Dennis, who owns 25% of McLaren, has in effect been forced out after a bitter boardroom dispute – ending his 36-year stay with the team.