Former CEO of Aston Martin Offers Five Career Maxims to UVA Darden Students
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business concluded its fall Leadership Speaker Series last month with a presentation from Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chair and former CEO of Aston Martin.
Bez offered five career maxims that he has applied at Aston Martin to position the company as a top maker of luxury vehicles:
- Never give up.
- Expose yourself to different cultures.
- Be a leader.
- Work strategically and creatively; do not create just for the sake of being new.
- Be only satisfied with your very best, but realize that perfection is the death of innovation.
Bez’s Leadership Speaker Series talk was part of his two day visit to Darden as Distinguished Executive-in-Residence. During his time at the School, Bez also presented to a consumer brands class, met with leaders of the European Society at Darden and Darden International Business Society, had lunch with members of Darden’s Retail and Luxury Goods Club, and discussed automotive careers with a group of selected students, among other activities.
Bez led Aston Martin as its CEO from 2000 to 2014. Prior to Aston Martin, he was responsible for development of the BMW Z1 as well as design and development at Porsche, where he worked on automotive icons such as the 911 Turbo, the Carrera RS 2.7, the 968 and the 993. Following Porsche, Bez was vice president of Engineering at Daewoo Motors, leading the development of models such as the Daewoo Matiz.
Under Bez’s leadership Aston Martin grew its sales more than fourfold within thirteen years; moved to a new state of the art factory; became a globally recognized brand; returned to competitive motorsport; and launched more than 20 new models, such as Vanquish; DB9; DBS; V8 and V12 Vantage; One-77; Rapide; Zagato; and CC-100.
In 2014 Bez joined Alset Global, a hydrogen automotive start-up, as vice chair and chief of Automotive Business. Bez is an avid racing driver, competing in several races such as the 24 Hours Nürburgring and the Le Mans Legend race.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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