Longbow has strengthened its ranks with three former heavyweight automotive CEOs – Dan Balmer, Mike Flewitt, and Michael van der Sande. The three will lead a board of world-class advisors as Longbow accelerates toward manufacturing of its “driver-obsessed” Featherweight Electric Vehicles (FEVs), the Speedster and Roadster.
Mike Flewitt, former CEO at McLaren Automotive, said, “British engineering has long been a point of national pride, but there’s a case to be made that we’ve fallen behind. Longbow represents a return to form, a novel idea with rigorous execution and a team with experience to make it happen. It’s an opportunity to be part of British automotive history, creating iconic sportscars that follow a timeless recipe, albeit with an electric twist.”
Michael van der Sande, former CEO at Alpine and managing director SVO at Jaguar, said, “Fast, agile, not too heavy, not too complicated and, most importantly, something that puts a smile on your face every day. It’s a compelling concept in theory, promising to be totally captivating in reality: an electric sportscar for people who love driving. Development of a market-defining FEV is by no means a simple task, but Longbow has an exceptional team that knows what it takes.”
Dan Balmer, former president and CEO of Lotus Cars Europe, said, commented, “Longbow’s motto ‘Speed of Lightness’ is not just about the sportscars, it’s also about an agile team, optimized product, and accelerated development – lessons the Longbow team learned at some of the world’s most successful EV startups. I am thrilled to be advising Longbow, working with founders Daniel [Davey], Mark [Tapscott] and Jenny [Keisu] to bring their FEV vision to life.”
Longbow’s appointment of Balmer, Flewitt and van der Sande continues momentum for the brand towards manufacturing its featherweight electric sportscars in the UK, starting in 2026. Their collective experience spans critical leadership roles across Lotus, McLaren, Aston Martin, Tesla and Lucid, offering depth of expertise. The advisory board will help provide invaluable strategic insight as the Longbow leadership team continues on its route to production and beyond.
Flewitt’s expertise in manufacturing and scaling production, particularly from his time at McLaren Automotive, will bolster Longbow as it prepares to fulfil demand for its hand-built British sportscars.
Launching and growing automotive brands has long been a strength of van der Sande, having led Tesla’s European launch, Alpine’s global relaunch, and Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations’s exponential global growth.
Balmer’s background in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales and commercial strategy spans iconic brands such as Aston Martin and Lotus, and he will help Longbow to further hone its brand identity and go-to-market activities.
Longbow COO Mark Tapscott commented, “At Longbow, we live by a few simple principles, and central to these is: we can never have too much good advice. Whether it’s engineering details, company strategy, customer community building and even design suggestions, we listen. Combining strength in our conviction to move at the Speed of Lightness with the humility to learn from the incredible expert experience around us is how we’ll build the best outcome for the road ahead.”
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