Richard Butler

A middle-aged man wearing a black suit, white shirt, red tie, and glasses, smiling against a plain white background.

First car:

Favourite movie:

Go to holiday:

Hobby:

Best boss:

Fiat Strada

The Godfather

Venice

Advanced chess

Hans Landin

Engagement Model Offered

NED; Advisory; Chair; Interim

Suited to Organisational Types

Scale-ups; SME; Corporate

Richard is a Non-Executive Chair and Director, and former CEO/President, with over 40 years of experience across global manufacturing organisations.

He has held leadership roles with SKF Group, NSK and Timken, working across automotive, aerospace and defence sectors.

A qualified engineer with over 30 years in C-suite roles, Richard supports boards and leadership teams on M&A, organisational transformation and cross-border culture, helping businesses align strategy, structure and performance to deliver sustainable growth.

Richard’s Arena

  • Manufacturing (Automotive, Aerospace & Defence)

  • Technical Focus: Engineering Background

  • Function Expertise: M&A, Organisational Transformation, Culture

Superpowers

  • Leads and executes M&A strategies to support business growth.

  • Shapes organisational culture, particularly across cross-border environments.

  • Drives right-sizing and product vitality initiatives.

  • Combines strategic thinking with decisive execution.

  • Translates complex, multi-layered challenges into clear, actionable plans.

  • Influences and delivers lasting cultural change across organisations.

Impact in Action

  • Led organisations of up to $600m revenue and 4,000 employees.

  • Built a $450m, 20% EBITDA division at Timken through acquisition (2010 – 2019).

  • Led the turnaround of NSK Europe from 5% loss to 5% profit over five years (2020 – 2025).

  • Established a new advisory business with partners (2025 – 2026).

Working style

  • Strong opinions, backed by convincing argument and follow-through.

  • Focused on delivering outcomes through clear direction and execution.

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