Dan Watkins has led CAD and PLM at Oracle Red Bull Racing since 2013, playing a key role in shaping the team’s digital engineering infrastructure for car development. With a background spanning both automotive and aerospace, he brings deep expertise in Siemens NX, Teamcenter, and end-to-end lifecycle management — from initial design through to manufacturing — helping to drive innovation and performance at every stage.

As the Head of Automotive at Thatcham Research, my role involves developing a strategic perspective on the automotive and mobility ecosystem and understanding how it influences our organisation's response. This includes gaining market insights, fostering strategic relationships, guiding our research and product programs, and ensuring we deliver value back to the automotive sector. We have witnessed a significant transformation in our insurance product offering with the introduction of the Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR). This enhancement allows us to provide much greater detail in our Automotive Risk Intelligence. Understanding how the automotive sector can respond to VRR is crucial for maximising value across the mobility ecosystem. As the market evolves, with trends such as Mobility as a Service, the Zero Emissions Mandate, and the emergence of new market entrants, grasping risk is essential for maximising value. VRR serves as a foundation for a new approach to understanding Automotive Risk Intelligence, and my focus is on promoting industry-wide adoption of this framework as we navigate this transition

As UK Country Director for OMODA & JAECOO, I am responsible for establishing and driving the success of the brand's operations in the UK market. My primary focus is on building a strong market presence, developing strategic launch initiatives, and ensuring the business's long-term growth. I work closely with the wider European project team to design and implement market entry strategies, ensuring that our brand positioning, product offerings, and organisational structure align with both regional and global business objectives.

A key milestone in my role has been leading the introduction of Chery's first BEV SUV in Europe, ensuring a successful launch that meets consumer expectations and regulatory requirements while setting the foundation for further expansion. Currently, my focus is securing strong distribution networks, ensuring aftersales service excellence, and driving consumer adoption of our vehicles in a competitive landscape. By leveraging my extensive experience in both passenger and commercial vehicle market development across Europe, I aim to position OMODA & JAECOO as a key player in the UK automotive sector, delivering high-quality, innovative vehicles that meet the evolving needs of customers while contributing to the broader success of the European expansion strategy.

As Head of Motor Repair at Admiral my role is to lead and support the team in delivering the best repair outcomes for our customers. I’ve held several senior supply chain management roles and joined Admiral 3 years ago to design and implement a new repair strategy, focussing on building sustainable partnerships with some of the best-known and respected repair groups in the sector, and ensuring we deliver safe, high quality and cost-effective repairs. Increasingly, this includes building the capability and skills across our supply chain and internal support teams to repair vehicles with new technology such as EV and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.  This also includes building relationships with existing and new vehicle manufacturers and important industry bodies such as Thatcham to ensure we can all work together effectively to get our customers back on the road in a safe and timely manner.