The boss of Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus is to step down by the end of this year.
Buta Atwal, who was persuaded out of retirement by Jo Bamford when the JCB heir bought Wrightbus out of administration in 2019, said he had taken the decision to pursue his own personal interests after a “great deal of consideration.”
He helped rebuild the business in the intervening years, refocusing it on the production of hydrogen-fueled buses and landing a number of large contracts for its technology around the world.
Most recently the business landed a deal with a German operator for 60 hydrogen buses and signed a deal with an Australian bus body manufacturer to supply that market.
“It has been an enormous privilege to oversee the incredible advancements we have made since taking over the business in 2019, but the time is now right for me to move on and pursue some of my own personal interests,” Mr Atwal said. “I want to be with my family more and explore my faith, which is very important to me, more deeply. We have a tremendous team in place, so I feel comfortable that I and the company are in a position to allow me to do this.
“It is with some considerable satisfaction that I will be leaving at the end of a year which has seen us hit some incredible highs, with our hydrogen buses having clocked up more than 1 million miles and our and our StreetDeck Electroliner officially named the most efficient double deck battery-electric bus in the world. I strongly believe that this is just the start for what Wrightbus can achieve.”
Mr Atwal will leave at the end of 2022 and be succeeded in the role by Joerg Hofmann, the current chief executive officer of London Electric Vehicle Company, in September.
Jo Bamford, Wrightbus Executive Chairman, said Mr Atwal has been instrumental in the success of Wrightbus.
“He left no stone unturned in driving this business forward and delivering what experts have said is the most efficient zero-emission bus in the world. I managed to persuade Buta to come out of retirement once, when we bought Wrightbus out of administration in October 2019, but twice has proved impossible and he leaves with our best wishes and thanks for a job well done.
“From September, we look forward to welcoming Joerg to the team. He has big shoes to fill but we're convinced he's the right man for the next stage of our development.”
