TVS appoints interim CEO at Norton Motorcycles. And he’s a former BOSS at Harley-Davidson and Land Rover.

Following TVS snapping up the Norton brand in a £16 million deal, the Indian automotive giant has announced that its new interim CEO is John Russell, formerly of Harley-Davidson and Land Rover.

Russell has previously served as both Vice President and Managing Director for Harley-Davidson Europe – and before that he was Managing Director of Land Rover’s commercial division. That’s not a bad CV, is it?

The appointment is a positive first step from TVS, as it looks to regain the motorcycling public’s trust following the iconic British marque’s bankruptcy at the hands of ex-boss Stuart Garner.  

Following the purchase of Norton, Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director of TVS Motor Company commented, “Norton will continue to retain its distinctive identity with dedicated and specific business plans. TVS Motor will work closely with customers and employees in building the success and pre-eminence of the Norton Motorcycles brand and we look forward to growing together globally in the years to come.”

Of course, Russell is ‘just’ the interim CEO for now, which might suggest he’s not going to be in it for the long haul – but with TVS recently announcing that they’re planning to keep production in the UK, utilising the existing design and assembly teams, he’s clearly a good man to have on the ground.