Professor Richard Hopkins: Out and About

Richard Hopkins, former Head of Operations for the world champion Red Bull Racing Formula One Team, has been working on a bold new endeavour – infusing F1 technology into climate-zero cars. 

It’s something he’s doing in his role as Professor of Practice at UNSW Sydney, where he acts as an industry mentor in student-led activities, most notably the UNSW flagship solar racing team Sunswift.

 

Finding a Winning Formula for Red Bull Racing

 

Richard‘s journey started at the age of 9, when he went to his first Grand Prix, sparking a lifelong love for motorsport. Even though his parents didn’t own a car for much of his childhood, Richard managed to channel his love for racing into a nearly 30 year spanning career in Formula 1 from the age of 16, with roles ranging from a pitstop mechanic to Head of Operations in the Red Bull Racing team from 2007.

As a newly formed team, his role was to create an operational system regarded as a landmark approach at the time. This approach emphasises efficiency and management over funding in order to generate better results on the track. By the end of 2015, Red Bull had won four consecutive World Championships. Richard was instrumental in the team’s meteoric rise, which dominates the sport today.

Harnessing the Power of the Sun

 

Following his Formula 1 career, Richard moved from the UK to Australia to bring his industry experience, knowledge and can-do attitude to UNSW Engineering as a Professor of Practice, where he has helped students develop projects like Sunswift, a student-led project that designs, builds and races solar-electric vehicles

In this role, he helps engineering students develop both hands-on experience and high-level management skills that are transferable to industry. This creates valuable educational experiences while supporting his goal of championing sustainability in racing and broader automotive industries.

Providing Valuable Business Insights as an ICMI Speaker

 

As a speaker for ICMI, Richard excels at providing insights across business, leadership, sustainability, technology and innovation. His experience in Formula 1 as well as other management and leadership roles equips him with actionable insights applicable to many other sectors. This includes how to build high performance teams, learning from failure and developing company-wide common goals.

 

Interested in booking Richard as a speaker for your event? Call us now on 1800 334 625 or make an enquiry online.

 

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