Richard West is a professional presenter, Formula One motivational speaker and training facilitator.
Having worked in the motorsport industry since 1979, following an early career as an automotive mechanic in the early ’80s, Richard West undertook PR work for Ford and Datsun in the World Rally Championship.
West joined the World of Formula 1 with Williams Grand Prix Engineering in early 1984.
Since then, he has held the positions of:
- Sponsorship Manager for the McLaren International Formula 1 Team (late 84-88)
- Commercial and Main Board Director for the TWR Silk Cut Jaguar Le Mans and Daytona winning Teams (89-91)
- Director of Sponsorship and Marketing for the Williams Formula 1 Team (92-96).
- Consultant to Arrows GP and Ferrari’s sponsor, Asprey.
Since embarking upon his commercial career in motorsport, Richard West has successfully negotiated commercial sponsorship contracts worth more than 165 million dollars with notable companies such as Shell, Rothmans Tobacco, Sanyo Electric Company, SEGA Computer Games, Segafredo Coffee, Repsol YPF, PIAA Mirage Ceramica in Formula 1, and Green Flag, The AA.Com and Tetrosyl in the British Touring Car Championship which he ran as Series Administrator between 2000 and 2004.
During his motorsport career, Richard has worked with drivers Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Keke Rosberg, Stefan Johansson, Nigel Mansell, the late Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Martin Brundle, David Coulthard, Heinz Harald Frentzen, Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher.
Richard West co-authors ‘Performance at the Limit – Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing’.
The book inspired the 2007/8 BBC World 8 part series on Formula 1, ‘Formula for Success’.
In 2008, Richard West was appointed as a Visiting Fellow to the Cranfield School of Management and owns an ex Damon Hill Jordan Honda 198 Formula 1 car, which a variety of his clients use for exhibition purposes around the World.
Richard West – F1 Motivational Speaker:
Drawing upon personal business experiences and his time spent working with World beating teams and Drivers, allied to the learnings obtained from the ‘Performance at the Limit’ research process and the extensive knowledge gained from 95 interviews with 65 respondents contained within the three editions, his Speaking Topics include
- The Attributes of Leadership
- Creating and Maintaining High Performing Business Teams
- Accepting and Managing Change
- Communication