Leonard Lord

Leonard Lord (1896-1967) was a captain of the British Motor Industry.

He was educated at Bablake in Coventry. Between 1914 and 1918 he joined an arms factory in Coventry. After the war, he worked in a manufacturing plant for Daimler engines.

In 1923, he moved to Morris Motor Company, where he was involved in rationalizing all stages of the production process. In 1927 Morris bought Wolseley Motors and Lord was transferred there in order to modernize their production equipment.

In 1932 Lord is promoted General Manager at Morris, operating out of the Cowley factory.

In 1938, after many years of conflict between himself and William Morris, Lord left Morris to join its main competitor, Austin Motor Company.

At that time, Herbert Austin had sought somebody to direct his company. His only son had been killed during the First World War. Ultimately, Lord was selected to manage the company.

With the advent of the Second World War, Austin converted from civil production towards military production and in particular the construction of ambulances and government vehicles.

By the end of the war, Lord was Chairman of Austin Motor Company, and moves the company to a resumption of "civil" motor vehicle production.

Through further mergers and acquisitions, Lord ultimately became president of British Motor Company and British Leyland.

He died in 1967, aged 71.