Blue Bird Corporation announced the appointment of Simon J. Newman to its Board of Directors, effective April 4, 2023. Newman has over 40 years of leadership experience in the fields of precision-engineered manufacturing, executive strategy and commercial relationships. He joins the Blue Bird Board currently serving as Chairman of MW Industries, including MW Components, a global component manufacturer for the automotive, aerospace, electronics and energy industries, as well as Paragon Medical, a global industry leader in medical device manufacturing.

Newman previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer for Form Technologies for 18 years. He began his career with the Dynacast organization, now a Form Technologies division, in 1979 as an apprentice in the United Kingdom, progressively working through the company in all facets of operations leading to a long and prolific tenure as the Group Chief Executive. Newman also serves on the Board of Directors of MW Components, Paragon Medical, Elgen Manufacturing and Chromalloy.

He received a bachelor of science degree in Operations Management from California Coast University.