SUMMARYMarvin Cooke OBE – From apprentice engineer to European Vice President in the car industryMarvin Cooke OBE was Vice President of Manufacturing for Toyota Europe – responsible for more than 20,000 staff and the production of 800,000 cars, at factories in Britain, France, Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic. He started out as an apprentice engineer. Today he is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Derby Business School.During a candid conversation for Episode 60 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Marvin talks to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about the importance of mentors, the fascination of engineering, and the nagging fear of failure that drives him on.INTRODUCTION• Marvin Cooke was born and bred in Derby. He joined the Toyota factory, in Derby, in 1991 as a junior engineer• He previously completed an apprenticeship at Pirelli Tyres, in Burton upon Trent – and graduated from Nottingham Trent with a degree in Electrical Electronic Engineering. • He worked for Toyota for more than 30 years. In 2020 he was appointed Vice President, Manufacturing at Toyota Europe• As VP, Marvin was responsible for production of more than 800,000 Toyota vehicles a year, at plants employing more than 20,000 people, in Britain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey.• In August 2024 he was appointed Professor of Enterprise at the University of Derby Business School.• In January 2025, he was awarded an OBE for services to automotive manufacturing, in the King’s New Year’s Honours List.LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Marvin Cooke, former Vice President of Toyota EuropeOn having a career plan…“As a 16-year-old, I knew that I wanted to be an engineer. I always enjoyed technical things. But at that age I never imagined going into leadership.”On being driven to succeed…“I’ve always had imposter syndrome – and quite a fear of failure. I want to do well for the people I work for. And for the people who work for me.”On the need to create contacts and networks…“I wish I’d talked to more leaders early in my career. Because when I started speaking to them, I found they had more in common with me than I thought.”On where to seek advice…“For leaders [and aspiring leaders] mentors are so important. And I don't always think your mentors should necessarily be in a higher position than you.”On what Marvin was looking for, when taking on staff…“Transferable skills are key. Of course, we were looking for the core competencies. But we often hired people not for everything they had now, but for what they could be in the future… people we thought had aptitude, energy, passion, and were willing to learn.”On why leaders need to talk to their staff… “There was nothing more enjoyable for me than being with the people doing the daily job. What people deliver when they feel that what they're doing is important, is a tremendous thing.”On the downside of remote working…“Hybrid working is very important. But I'm not convinced 100% remote working is healthy because culture is also important. In the past, we were able to develop culture by proximity… people working together. We're not in that same situation today.”On the thrill of being a leader…“I got into engineering. I ended up in leadership. That wasn't necessarily an easy decision or pathway. But I'm very pleased I did it because it's given me a lot of opportunities.”RELATED LINKS• There’s more about Marvin Cooke on his LinkedIn profile• Marvin Cooke’s appointment to Derby Business School is reported on Insider Media• Marvin Cooke is in conversation on the Process Management International YouTube channelIf you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Marvin Cooke, listen to previous episodes with…• The former CEO of ASOS Nick Beighton• The CEO of Capital One UK Lucy Hagues MBE• The CEO of transport tech giant Microlise Nadeem Raza

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