Bentley appoints Sustainability and Community Communications Manager to accelerate its Beyond100 strategy toward full electrification and broader ESG leadership
Expanded remit covers decarbonisation, DEIB and community engagement as luxury automotive brands face intensifying regulatory and consumer scrutiny
Move reflects rising importance of strategic sustainability communications across high value sectors where climate, talent and supply chain pressures converge
Bentley Motors has appointed Max Harris Jones as Sustainability and Community Communications Manager, a newly elevated role tied directly to the company’s Beyond100 strategy and wider push to position itself as the most sustainable luxury automotive brand. Harris Jones will report to Chief Communications and DEIB Officer Wayne Bruce and work closely with the Bentley Board of Management and regional leadership teams.
The appointment lands at a moment of competitive pressure for luxury automotive manufacturers. Electrification timelines are tightening and regulatory expectations around supply chain disclosures, lifecycle emissions and community impact are expanding across Europe, the United States and Asia. For brands such as Bentley, sustainability communications are becoming central to both governance strategy and consumer positioning.
A Sustainability Role With Operational Depth
Harris Jones joined Bentley 11 years ago as a Graduate Engineer before rotating through technical and manufacturing functions. His most recent assignment was Technical Assistant to the Manufacturing Member of the Board, Andreas Lehe, where he worked on the transformation of Bentley’s Crewe Dream Factory.
Earlier roles in Mulliner and Motorsports included responsibility for operational logistics in Bentley’s Classics Continuation Series and parts and change management across motorsports programs. The experience provided exposure to the heritage, engineering and brand dimensions that underpin Bentley’s luxury identity and long term customer base.
Harris Jones has also been active in Bentley’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives. He was a founding member of the BeProud Network and participated in events such as Manchester Pride and Attitude 101. In 2025 he was named to the Attitude 101 cohort of trailblazing individuals across multiple industries, reflecting broader recognition of his work in advancing representation.
Bentley Signals a More Integrated ESG Communications Strategy
Commenting on the appointment, Wayne Bruce said:
“Over a year into our Beyond100 plus strategy, sustainability and our connection to the communities we work within remains vital. With the addition of Max to the team, we strengthen the ability to drive meaningful transformation, advance our sustainability leadership on the journey to becoming exclusively electric and deepen engagement within our communities.”
Harris Jones said:
“I am delighted to be joining Bentley’s Communications team. Over the past ten years at Bentley across Manufacturing, Motorsport and Mulliner I have had the privilege to be part of some incredible teams and projects. The progress we are making on decarbonisation, maturing DEIB, and deepening our community impact is driven by the passion of our colleagues and the commitment of our business partners. I am excited to build on that momentum alongside the Communications team.”
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He replaces Stefanie Lackner, who returned to Audi AG in 2025 as Spokesperson Transformation.
What Executives and Investors Are Watching
The broader investment and policy community is assessing how luxury automakers will execute on electrification commitments, reduce manufacturing emissions, and comply with product level disclosures emerging from the EU and the United Kingdom. Communications roles that integrate sustainability, community and DEIB strategy are becoming more common as companies attempt to avoid fragmented messaging on climate, workforce and supply chain priorities.
For Bentley, decarbonisation intersects with capital investment in the Dream Factory, workforce transformation, and sourcing strategies that link into Volkswagen Group’s wider electrification roadmap. Community engagement and DEIB efforts are also increasingly relevant to talent markets, especially for engineering and digital roles that are critical to electric vehicle development.
Global Context
The appointment comes amid tightening international ESG reporting standards and heightened scrutiny on luxury goods companies to substantiate climate and social claims. While Bentley is operating within a high margin segment, it faces the same investor expectations around transparency and transition planning that are shaping the mainstream automotive sector.
By strengthening sustainability communications within the leadership architecture, Bentley is positioning itself to defend market relevance as the luxury automotive category moves further into electrification and lifecycle accountability.
