Michelin appoints Carl Williams as UK, Ireland technical team head

Williams will take over from Rob Blurton, retiring after 44 years

Michelin has appointed Carl Williams as customer engineering support team manager UK & Republic of Ireland at Michelin Tyre plc. He will lead a team of experienced technical managers working across all product lines. Williams will take over from Rob Blurton, who will retire from Michelin at the end of September after 44 years with the business, much of it spent supporting truck and bus fleet customers.

Williams, himself a Michelin veteran of 36 years, moves into the role after nearly three years as a beyond road regional sales manager. He originally joined Michelin in 1987 on a Youth Training Scheme Modern Apprenticeship, developing his career to take on roles including regional fleet account manager, external training instructor and training centre manager.

During his time with the training department, he even spent a fortnight on secondment with international development organisation Transaid in Tanzania. This saw him working with professional driver trainers within the truck and bus sector to highlight how better tyres mean safer roads, and safer roads mean fewer casualties.

Commenting on his new role as Michelin’s most senior technical field engineer, Williams says: “I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead, and the opportunity to work with our technical managers across all areas of the business, from two-wheel and four-wheel B2C, to our on-road and off-road B2B fleets.

“In many ways, this is my dream job within Michelin. I get to support all product lines, lead a fantastic team, and put my three and a half decades of experience with the company to best use.”

Blurton will retire after a distinguished career, which began aged 18 as a direct-entry technician apprentice working within Michelin’s Stoke-on-Trent factory. More recently he has spent the last five years heading up the technical team, prior to which he was part of the wider Michelin technical team for more than 40 years.