James Dyson’s family holding company has tapped a legal veteran from his technology empire to be its next CEO, the latest staffing shakeup at the firm overseeing Britain’s biggest fortune.
Martin Bowen, 56, was appointed to the top job at Weybourne last month, according to UK registry filings, following more than two decades of service at Dyson Ltd., where he’s been its chief legal officer most recently. He succeeds James Bucknall, 66, a former British army officer who helped lead Weybourne for more than a decade.
A representative for Dyson — Britain’s richest person, with a net worth of about $19.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — declined to comment. An automated email from Bucknall’s Weybourne account said he has left the firm and directed queries to current staff, while Bowen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Closely held Weybourne, which seldom shares details, is among the world’s largest family investment firms, with more than 60 employees between the UK and Singapore helping support Dyson’s fortune. The tycoon’s assets include his company that makes vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and headphones, as well as an English country estate and one of Britain’s largest farming businesses.
Last year, Weybourne promoted senior money manager Jane Simpson to chief investment officer for its financial assets, while real estate professional Gareth Herrington exited the firm. In recent months, it also hired former Amundi SA executive Claudio Cadei for a London role focusing on areas including stock market investments, while Sheener Ooi became Dyson Farming’s CFO after working at building products firm Ibstock PLC.