Bentley Motors, Inc. President and CEO Discusses Career

Mark Del Rosso, president and CEO of Bentley Motors, Inc., discussed his career and his plans for the company on Nov. 14 at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, during an event hosted by the Georgetown Retail & Luxury Association (GRLA) and the Global Business Initiative (GBI).

Del Rosso, who also serves as a member of the GBI advisory board, shared what has inspired him throughout his life and has contributed to his successful career in the automotive industry. He started at Toyota shortly after graduating from the University of Southern California. He worked at Toyota for nearly two decades in successively progressive management positions, and he then was recruited to Audi of America as chief operating officer where he and the leadership team built one of the fastest growing premium brands and secured five years of month-over-month sales increases. In 2017, Del Rosso became president and CEO of the regional office for Bentley Motors, Inc.

Recently, Del Rosso successfully launched the company’s flagship vehicle, the Bentayga, a luxury sport utility vehicle on the market. Recalling his trip to the company’s factory in Crewe, England, Del Rosso discussed how Bentley is a brand that derives value from its car design process.

Additionally, Del Rosso talked about the importance of co-branding, citing the mutually beneficial partnership with luxury watchmaker Breitling.

“For us, Breitling made the best sense,” said Del Rosso. “Again, [Breitling] being a company that has a rich story and heritage of product that’s so magnificent, we thought that the partnership would really help both our companies move forward into the future.”

Finally, Del Rosso discussed some of the challenges for Bentley, as the automotive company needs to keep adapting and adjusting to technology.

“Manufacturers go through what you call minor change and major change, and it’s always an opportunity to invest,” he said. “You have to prioritize what is the most customer-relevant investment.”

Extracted from GRLA’s blog.