It’s no secret that A-listers love Rolls Royce. It’s a favorite of the Kardashians, not to mention football legend David Beckham, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather, and numerous stars and celebrities all owning at least one of this prized line of luxury automobiles. So what is it like working for such a prestigious brand? Ian Grant is the epitome of an elegant gentleman. Since joining the company, he has marked the sale of the two single largest fleet orders in Rolls-Royce’s history. The regional sales manager of the automotive brand describes Rolls Royce in three words, strive to perfection.
Can you tell us about your background and how you came to work for Rolls-Royce?
I joined in January 2014 and it’s now very close to four years since I joined. I was previously with the BMW Group in the UK. I am the regional sales manager of Rolls Royce and I look after Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand to ensure ideas and deals with customers are all in order.
It is of paramount importance that we meet the design requirements whether we meet them at their homes, hotels, or if they want to come with us in our dealership offices. It’s completely up to them. We work closely and intensively with customers to oversee design elements so we can show them all the choices they have and feed their imagination. We want to understand their thoughts and develop design inspirations.
Whats the best part about your job? Do you get to test drive the cars?
Yes, I am very lucky indeed. I was able to test drive all the models around the famous Goodwood race track in England. It’s a fantastic place laced with history so it was pretty special driving around a phantom around that track. It was fantastic!
For those who are not as familiar with the brand concept, can you tell our readers more about what the Rolls Royce brand represents and in your opinion how it’s managed to stay at the top all these years?
Rolls Royce is all about bespoke luxury. We embody the concept of tailor-made vehicles to meet the customers’ requirement. That’s how we stay ahead of the market and the essence of achieving the pinnacle of luxury is by catering to our customer’s needs and wants. I think no one else in the industry can offer that same quality.
The Phantom 4 was originally only intended for heads of state so only 18 cars were ever built. With the eighth generation Phantom due to launch, is there a cap on how many will be built?
The majority of Phantoms are bespoke to the customer’s requirements. The limit really is factory concepts so there is really no number to it. We ultimately work with clients to deliver these vehicles and we’ve had enjoyable feedback since launch in July in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royces per capita in the world, why do you think it has remained so popular here over the years?
The people of Hong Kong and Macau, you can see the shopping malls and hotels that they are looking for luxury. They demand the best and it commensurates with our values in Rolls Royce. By buying the best fashion and staying in the best hotels, the desire to be driven by the best car, that’s where we come in.
With over 100 years of history and 65% of Rolls Royce ever built still on the road, Rolls Royce boasts some impressive figures, can you share with us any other impressive facts?
I think one thing that stayed true in the history of Phantom is the design lines of the car. Something I find exciting is that if you take off one of the wheeks and stack another wheel on top of it, that equals the line and height and roof of the car and that stays true for every phantom model until today. It was put in there by Henry Royce and Charles Rolls from the beginning and stays alive until today.
What can we expect from the launch of the eighth generation Phantom? What’s different about this series?
It’s got to be the gallery. As the customers start to see the opportunity of the work they can do with that and start getting unique design from diamonds, gold, and artists commissioned to work it. It’s super exciting when you that the possibilities are endless with what we can put in that item.
If you could describe Rolls Royce in three words, what would they be?
Strive to perfection!
Rolls Royce is the ultimate definition of luxury—why is that? What do you think has made it what it is today?
The quality and craftsmanship is a testament. It’s our ability to listen and work with clients and deliver their request which sets us apart and makes us unique and has helped us stand the test of time. It has been an enjoyable experience for me since joining Rolls Royce. By speaking to clients and taking the very first discussion of their vision and journey of their car and making it a reality and delivering it to them. Although clearly, I am not the owner of this car, I feel a sense of ownership and that’s one of the reasons Rolls Royce stands at the forefront of the industry.
Learn more at the Rolls Royce website: www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
And learn more about the Goodwood estate, parts open to the public with fine dining and accommodation options, where cars are raced and tested: www.goodwood.com
