Actor

Jonathan Neale

Born 1962 · Woking, Surrey, England

Jonathan Neale, born on August 19, 1962, in Woking, Surrey, England, is a British engineer and business executive renowned for his significant contributions to the automotive and motorsport industries. He earned a degree in physics from the University of Nottingham and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Neale began his career at Philips Electronics Defence Systems in 1984, working on electronic semiconductor research and software projects. In 1991, he joined BAE Systems as a project design engineer, where he worked on a broad range of commercial and defence projects, across functions from engineering, production, flight operations, sales, and customer support. In 2001, Neale joined McLaren Racing as Operations Director, overseeing technical purchasing, planning, manufacturing, and quality functions. He was promoted to Managing Director in 2005, a role he held during the team's 2008 World Championship win with Lewis Hamilton. In 2016, he became Chief Operating Officer of McLaren Group, encompassing McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive, and McLaren Applied Technologies. In September 2021, it was announced that Neale would step down as COO and leave McLaren later that year. In November 2021, he joined Filtronic, a manufacturer of RF and microwave equipment, as Non-Executive Chairman.