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Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing

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Episode notes

Zak Brown is the CEO of McLaren Racing. It’s a role that gives him the overall responsibility for the McLaren Racing organisation, including the strategic direction, operational performance, marketing and commercial development of the McLaren Formula 1 and IndyCar programmes.


Zak’s road to becoming a leader in the racing industry started as a professional driver, racing in the USA and Europe. It was in 1995 that Zak then focused on the business side, founding the agency JMI, which grew to become the largest motorsport marketing agency in the world and was acquired by Chime Communications PLC in 2013 as part of its sports marketing division, CSM. Zac was appointed the company's Chief Executive Officer before joining McLaren.


With a huge history in F1, a legacy of success, a fantastic fan base, and one of the most popular driver line ups, I was keen to understand when you join and lead a brand like McLaren, what do you do and where do you start?