Pendragon chairman Sir Nigel Rudd will also become chairman of engineering group Invensys from January 1.

The move reaffirms Rudd’s reputation as one of the busiest men in the City – taking on the deputy chairman role at Barclays and non-executive director roles at BAA, defence group BAE Systems and South African newspaper Sappi.

Rudd oversaw the merger of Pendragon with Reg Vardy and has said he is adamant his new additional role will not restrict his ability to deal with issues at his other companies.