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McLaren Automotive confirms new Middle East / Africa regional Director and Asia Pacific expansion plans

McLaren Automotive has confirmed that Mark Harrison, the current Head of PR, has been appointed as Regional Director, Middle East / Africa. This follows Ian Gorsuch's move from the role and appointment as Regional Director for Asia Pacific; a newly created position that supports the creation of McLaren Automotive Asia, a private limited company registered in Singapore to oversee McLaren Automotive's Asia Pacific operations.

Gorsuch will also be responsible for McLaren Automotive's expansion in the Asia Pacific region and managing the company's relationships with its appointed retailers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. He previously held these same responsibilities for the Asia Pacific and Middle East / Africa regions.

Commenting on the development of McLaren Automotive Asia, Gorsuch said: "The first phase of McLaren Automotive's entry into the Asia Pacific region is nearing completion as our appointed dealers are opening their showrooms and successfully growing a strong forward order bank. We are now focused on building our Asia team and looking at the China market as the next phase of our growth."

Harrison will be responsible for managing the company's relationships with its appointed retailers in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. He moves to the role after three years as McLaren Automotive's Head of PR, having overseen the media launches of the MP4-12C road car and GT3 racing car version, and the development of a global PR team.

Harrison said: "This is a fantastically exciting opportunity to move into a role that is at the core of the company's business, working closely with our retail partners and our customers. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of launching McLaren Automotive to the world's media as we have grown into a new car company with truly innovative cars, but the rare chance for a PR guy to experience a commercial role out in the market was something I just couldn't turn down."

Greg Levine, McLaren Automotive's Sales and Marketing Director, said: "I am really pleased to confirm these appointments. Ian Gorsuch has a wealth of experience in the luxury sector in the Middle East and Asia regions and has a huge opportunity to open up the region's mature and emerging markets to McLaren's new range of sports cars through the Singapore-based subsidiary. Mark, meanwhile, was one of the first appointments into the company's newly formed sales and marketing function in 2009 and has successfully supported the business through its launch phase. Throughout that time he has shown great appreciation not only for the demands of the world's media, but also the expectations of our retailers and customers. His ability to manage his PR operation in a way that considers the wider business was fundamental to his appointment as one of our four Regional Directors."