MGI enhances engineering capability with F1 expertise

Above: (left to right) Jonathan Dean and PhilStanton.
Courtesy MGI

Phil Stanton has joined the Witney-based company as Head of Design, while Jonathan Dean, has joined MGI as Technical Director. Both bring significant F1 experience and track-proven engineering methods that will be applied across MGI’s design and engineering divisions. 

In Formula 1, Phil held roles at Arrows GP and SuperAguri, before being a Principal Design Engineer at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, where he worked closely with Sir Patrick Head and managed a team of engineers to execute layout, vehicle design and technical support on the Formula 2 project.

More recently, Phil has held the position of Head of Design at Fortescue Zero (previously Williams Advanced Engineering), where he was responsible for the Design Engineering of a wide range of projects across hypercars, concept cars, technology-demonstrators, battery systems and defence products.

In Formula 1, Jonathan worked alongside Mike Gascoyne as Head of Design Office and Head of Powertrain Integration at CaterhamF1 and Lotus Racing, respectively. 

Jonathan brings extensive product development expertise from leadership roles across Fortescue Zero (previously Williams Advanced Engineering), Hewland Engineering and Xtrac Ltd. He has brought products from concept to production, including high-performance gearboxes, HV batteries and the Singer DLS supercar.

At MGI he will take responsibility for aspects of MGI’s Engineering and Programme delivery, ensuring the company’s technical work meets the rigour required by defence and other regulated sectors. 

The appointments of Phil and Jonathan bolster MGI’s aims to expand its service levels and increase its capabilities in the defence sector, as well as enable growth into new markets.

Phil Stanton, Head of Design at MGI Engineering, said: “It is an incredibly exciting time to join MGI. The company is on the cusp of real expansion and growth, especially within the defence sector and I’m excited to be a part of MGI’s already excellent and proven capability.

“The defence sector operates like Formula 1 in many ways, demanding solutions in short timescales. As all engineering sectors evolve, the solutions increasingly require the ability to innovate and engineer with speed and agility.”

Jonathan Dean, Technical Director at MGI, said: “MGI is engaged with exceptional clients on highly innovative, fast-paced and complex projects. On a personal level, I am hugely looking forward to working with our skilled and passionate team to meet and exceed these challenges.

“My focus will be on our clients’ requirements, our teams’ needs and our product development methods – in order to optimise ingenuity, agility, delivery and robustness.”

“Bringing Phil and Jonathan into MGI is a strategic step in our growth,” said Mike Gascoyne, CEO, MGI. “Their Formula 1 pedigrees are about methods; extreme benchmarking, rapid iteration, tight tolerances and systems thinking.

“Those methods are highly transferable and exactly what our defence and new-sector customers need. With Phil and Jonathan on board we can accelerate delivery, deepen technical capability and offer solutions informed by the highest levels of engineering discipline.”

By harnessing Formula 1 methodologies such as rapid prototyping, cross-discipline collaboration and relentless validation, MGI aims to deliver differentiated, reliable solutions for demanding programmes.