Claire Williams is promoted alongside her father
With Toto Wolff's departure to Mercedes, Sir Frank Williams' succession plan was brought into question. He then decided to appoint his daughter, Claire, as deputy team principal of the team he founded.
Over the past decade, Claire Williams gradually familiarized herself with all the workings of her father’s team. She started at the bottom as a press officer, which allowed her to manage a crucial link in the communication of an F1 team. In 2010, she became the director of the entire communications department of the team.
A new milestone was reached in 2011 when Williams decided to go public with a portion of its capital (mainly the shares held by Patrick Head). To present an official image and align with the requirements of publicly traded companies, Claire Williams became the director of investor relations. This led to her appointment to the board at the start of the 2012 season, in place of her father.
This announcement was supposed to be made before the start of the season. However, Sir Frank Williams suffered the loss of his wife Virginia earlier this month, and the family therefore logically decided to postpone the announcement to today. Frank Williams is obviously very proud of this promotion: Over the past ten years, Claire has worked tirelessly for Williams. Her knowledge of the sport and her passion for the team is undeniable, and I am proud to say that since she’s been here, she has proven to be one of our most important assets. With Claire’s appointment as Deputy Team Principal, I know that the future of Williams is in good hands. This appointment also had Ginny’s blessing, who would have been extremely proud to see Claire take on this role alongside me.
Claire Williams will also retain all of her existing roles, namely commercial director, which includes marketing, communication, and sponsorship functions.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
