Northumberland-based Tharsus, an advanced machines and robotics creator, has announced the appointment of Martin McCourt to its board as a non-executive director.

Headquartered in Blyth, Tharsus’ focus is firmly fixed on helping its partners, including the likes of BMW, DHL, Ocado and Rolls Royce, to engineer progress. It achieves this by designing and building game-changing autonomous and robotic solutions that transform business performance, creating new opportunities for customers across a variety of industries.

Mr McCourt has spent over 40 years working at the heart of British-based manufacturing, design and marketing for quality brands such as Dyson, Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.

As CEO of Dyson for 15 years, he was responsible for devising and implementing a strategy that transformed the company from a single-product, single-market producer into one where 80% of the business came from over 60 markets world-wide. He was also directly responsible for the establishment of Dyson subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

Mr McCourt brings a wealth of industry expertise and insight at a time when demand for innovation in robotics and automation has surged. His appointment comes at a time of sustained growth for Tharsus’ parent company, Tharsus Group. In June 2020, the business announced an extension of its partnership with Ocado Group, the world’s leading online grocery platform – a multi-million-pound investment which helped secure over 100 jobs around the UK.

As well as growing its core business throughout the pandemic, Tharsus created a personal motion system designed to help people effectively social distance in the workplace and beyond. Key features include a track-and-trace functionality to reduce impact in the event of a local outbreak. The technology system was deployed at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon to implement social distancing during the build up to and during the event.

Brian Palmer, Tharsus CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome Martin to our board at an exciting time for Tharsus’ growth journey. His eminent expertise and rich experience make him an invaluable addition to our leadership team as we continue to push the boundaries with everything that we do.

“Our team is committed to driving innovation in autonomous and robotics solutions, while serving as a trusted partner that helps our customers engineer progress, whatever industry they operate in.”

Mr McCourt said: “Having dedicated over 40 years to manufacturing design and marketing for leading British brands, I am excited to join Tharsus’ leadership team to support the company on its growth journey. The business is clearly going from strength-to-strength as its autonomous and robotics solutions drive innovation across the UK business landscape and beyond.

“I look forward to immersing myself in Tharsus’ great work that will no doubt ensure it stays at the cutting edge of the automation industry.”