Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty was named Classic Car Ambassador Of The Year at the 2020 Historic Motoring Awards, the UKs most prestigious classic car awards ceremony, in recognition of his dedication to the classic car industry and global car community.
Under the leadership of McKeel, Hagerty has grown from a local Michigan insurance agency, formed in the basement of the Hagerty family home in Traverse City, to a global market leader. Today Hagerty attracts $500m in global annual revenue and has enjoyed an average year-on-year growth rate of 22% for the past nine years. Based in Traverse City, the company has over 1,400 employees in the US, Canada, Germany and the UK and is the world’s largest automotive lifestyle brand.
As a passionate classic car enthusiast, McKeel made it Hagerty’s mission to save the art of driving and to safeguard the global car community for generations to come. His ambition and leadership led to the launch of the Hagerty Drivers Club which now has 620,000 members. In addition, the Hagerty Drivers Club magazine has a circulation of 800,000 copies, and Hagerty’s YouTube channel, launched by McKeel, attracts over 1.3m subscribers.
In addition to his role as CEO of Hagerty, McKeel is an ambassador of YPO, the leading Chief Executive leadership organisation, a General Partner of Michigan-based venture capital company Grand Ventures, a global speaker and strategist consultant and is a passionate community supporter in his hometown of Traverse City. In the motoring world, McKeel has been a judge of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for over 21 years and is a board member of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The Historic Motoring Awards citation heralded McKeel for his lifelong passion for classic cars, his dedication to car culture and the growth of the Hagerty business under his leadership. He was also praised for creating the Historic Vehicles Association, an organisation dedicated to recognising and persevering vintage vehicles as historical artefacts, which morphed into the National Historic Vehicles Register.
James Elliot, Historic Motoring Awards judge and Editor of Octane magazine, said ‘It was a pleasure to award McKeel with the Classic Car Ambassador Of The Year award. Hagerty has always been an instantly recognisable brand in our industry, but it’s rare for the CEO of a large corporation to be so prominent in the sector they service. McKeel is not only a passionate classic car enthusiast and owner, he is also dedicated to the success and longevity of the classic car industry which is to be applauded.”
Speaking after receiving the award, McKeel Hagerty said “I am completely humbled by this award,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “But in truth, everyone in my organization is an ambassador for cars. Cars are the vehicles to some of the best things in life, and we are so grateful for the role we get to play in preserving and expanding car culture for future generations.”
McKeel Hagerty entered the world of classic cars when he purchased a 1967 Porsche 911S, aged just 13, for $500. He still owns the car today. The full story can be read here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/
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