Management Profiles.

Dr. George Gillespie

Dr. George Gillespie.

CEO.

George Gillespie joined MIRA in January 2009 as CEO and has led the turnaround in MIRA fortunes with 30% growth in the business in the last two years and a growing international presence.

Building on a PhD from Queen’s University, Belfast for research into low emission engines, Dr Gillespie has over 20 years international experience in the automotive and marine product development sectors having been VP Strategic Product Development at HORIBA Europe GmbH and previously held senior roles with Ricardo and Schenck AG. He has worked extensively in the UK, Germany, USA, Japan and China.

Dr. Geoff Davis

Dr. Geoff Davis.

Business Development Director.

Geoff Davis joined MIRA following a 10 year period at Ricardo - the technical, engineering and management consultancy.

He is an experienced automotive engineering consultancy professional with a solid grounding in engineering fundamentals and has up-to-date experience in the latest automotive technologies and trends. He has a portfolio of first hand engineering and commercial experience across various transportation sectors ranging from passenger cars through to the defence industries.

A significant proportion of recent experience has been focused on the delivery of successful business platforms across global markets. In his current role he is working as part of the revised executive team where the focus is on further developing the 65 year old company as they look to position MIRA as a world leading supplier of advanced engineering and test consultancy to the automotive, defence and transport industries through international expansion, commercial and technical focus.

Declan Allen

Declan Allen.

Operations Director.

Declan Allen joined MIRA in August 2011 as Operations Director. He is a mechanical engineer by profession, with a Masters in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering from Queens University in Belfast, bringing 17 years of operational management experience in the automotive and motorsport sector to his role at MIRA – which includes responsibility for all engineering programmes, test operations, research and capital investments.

He is an experienced professional with a proven track record in technical facility management and building and leading high performance engineering and testing teams. Prior to joining MIRA he held a senior role at Mercedes Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd, where he was responsible for the assembly and test of engines and kinetic energy recovery systems for a number of leading F1 teams. Previous to this he held senior operational roles with Ricardo in the UK and USA.

In his role at MIRA he is working as part of the executive team to develop the operational capability and footprint to match MIRA’s expansion plans, both domestically and international, in the automotive, defence and transport sectors.
Donna Williams

Donna Williams.

Finance Director.

Donna Williams joined MIRA as Group FD, Commercial Director and Company Secretary in May 2010. She gained a degree in business studies and a post graduate diploma in marketing from Manchester Metropolitan University before qualifying as an accountant with KPMG.

She is highly experienced in the areas of corporate turnaround, strategic planning, mergers and aquisiations and integration. This experience was gained at KPMG, Coopers & Lybrand, Redland Aggregates Ltd, Boots Healthcare International Ltd and latterly as an independent consultant with numerous international businesses encompassing the retail, pharmaceutical, financial services, property and hotel sectors.

Key focus has been on managing change in businesses and building businesses and brands with an International portfolio.

Since joining MIRA she has been focused on the MIRA Technology Park Development and working with the Executive team to develop and implement the MIRA 2015 Strategy.