Tony Joseph, 54, former President of McLaren Americas was appointed Aston Martin Lagonda regional President for the Americas on Tuesday. He replaces Adam Chamberlain, who will be departing the firm later this month. The reason behind his departure was not made clear.
“With his exceptional track record in the luxury sector and strong reputation and experience across the dealer network, I am delighted to welcome Tony to lead our next phase of growth in the Americas. He joins at an exciting and transformative time for Aston Martin the Americas,” said Amedeo Felisa, chief executive officer of Aston Martin, said.
“As our largest market, the Americas carries huge importance to Aston Martin and our future success, with a clear strategy to accelerate growth and capitalize on the incredibly strong demand from luxury American consumers.”
Since 2020, there have been three Aston Martin Lagonda regional presidents for the Americas. Laura Schwab left that year to work at Rivian, only to be replaced by Chamberlain, who had come from Mercedes-Benz.
Those aren’t the only changes. Former Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa took over as worldwide CEO for the British automaker in May, replacing Tobias Moers.
Now, it’s Joseph’s turn
Joseph stepped down from his position at McLaren Automotive in June, and was replaced by Nicolas Brown, vice president of sales for the Americas on an interim basis. Joseph established McLaren in the U.S. market 13 years ago when it first went on sale stateside. Under his leadership, the company’s U.S. revenue and dealer network accounted for more than 40% of the company’s annual global sales. He also relocated its headquarters to Dallas, Texas. Now at Aston Martin, Joseph is expected to build on Aston Martin’s regional headquarters move to New York City.
A graduate of Western Michigan University, Joseph spent six years as Ferrari North America’s Sales Director, from 2003 through 2009 after having worked as a Regional Manager for Porsche Cars North America from 1998 through 2002. Prior to that, he was a District Sales Manager for Subaru of America from 1996 to 1998.
“I am delighted to be joining Aston Martin at an immensely exciting time for the brand. With a clear strategy, thrilling new products, and unrivalled affinity amongst luxury customers, I believe there is huge growth potential in the Americas for Aston Martin,” Joseph said.
“I look forward to working with colleagues both here in the U.S. and globally to realize that opportunity, with a collective ambition to strengthen our brand, enhance our customer experience and expand our operations and distribution throughout the region.”
A changing line-up
Like other automakers worldwide, Aston Martin is shelving its gas-powered engines, including its legendary V-12 powerplant, replacing them with new EV powertrains. The first electric Aston Martin is expected to arrive in 2025 as existing models are getting the hybrid treatment.
Aston Martin’s bestselling model, the DBX, is expected to get a plug-in hybrid model, while there’s speculation that the Vanquish mid-engine sports car is speculated to arrive late next year with a Mercedes-Benz V8 hybrid driveline. Aston is also expected to release the Valhalla, a mid-engine V-8 plug-in hybrid hypercar in 2024.
