Jim Campbell has joined Russam GMS as Associate Director, International & Head of Automotive Practice and Partner at the WIL Group. He has dedicated his career to the automotive industry, working in various roles for Land Rover/ BMW Group, Bentley/VAG and Hyundai Motor UK.

Jim then founded his own independent advisory company, Sutherland Campbell International, specialising in electric vehicle & charging infrastructure partnering with clients including BMW Group, SSE, Qualcomm and Heliox. More recently he set up and launched Meridian Mobility Technology, the UK’s innovation hub and testbed for connected and autonomous vehicles.

Jim’s experience provides valuable insight into the dynamics of the global automotive and mobility technology sectors.

The following is Jim’s take on the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry today:

 “The innovative and creative approach by companies like Tesla, Google, Dyson, Qualcomm, Heliox, Formula E, Nissan/Renault Alliance, JLR and BMW is demonstrating the potential for new forms of advanced propulsion. Leading-edge connectivity is enabling new business models and sharing solutions to capitalise on the opportunities for future mobility.

“Increasing population and urbanisation, air pollution and climate change all require the rapid development of new skills and collaboration across sectors. Government legislation and funding partnerships with Universities and industry are needed to jump start research and development in the autonomous, connected, electric and sharing technologies required to meet these challenges.

“Countries around the world are facing similar issues. Various case studies demonstrate the key success factors, such as the growth in EV sales in Norway and the electrification of transport in China. Future Mobility will require co-operation between companies, sectors, universities and governments and a workforce with the talent and skills to create innovative solutions. Increasingly this will influence school and university curricula, company development programmes and reward schemes.

“This cross-sector collaboration will include automotive companies and their supply chain, Tier 1 component suppliers, technology companies, SMEs and start-ups, mobile telecoms, transport authorities, highways infrastructure, artificial intelligence, gaming, energy, legal, finance, insurance, data services, data security and more. The scope and scale of the future mobility opportunities will drive a move towards knowledge and skills such as artificial intelligence, data analysis, software engineering, blockchain architecture, electronics, battery chemistry and business modelling.

“As the need for collaboration grows, services such as Legal and Data will increase in importance as securing Intellectual Property and creating competitive advantage will potentially become more challenging. This dynamic may well see the growth of more innovation clusters around the world, which will attract talented individuals with the knowledge and skills to flourish.

“The dynamics within the global automotive and mobility technology sectors and the rapid development of autonomous, connected, electric and sharing technologies make this a fascinating time to be involved in future mobility. The key to success is finding and developing people with the mindset, energy and teamwork ethic and creating the space and collaborative culture to rise to the challenge of achieving sustainable future mobility.”

Jim is delighted to sustain his contribution to the formation and development of a global automotive and future mobility talent pool, through his work with the Russam GMS team and collaborating with WIL Group partners worldwide.