J. C. Bamford Excavators Ltd. said that George Bamford will become joint chairman of the company alongside his father, marking the first change at the top of one of the UK’s biggest private companies in more than 50 years.

JCB, which manufactures excavators, tractors and other equipment for the agricultural and construction industries, said on Monday that George Bamford, currently its deputy chairman, would take on the role as the company “invests for its next chapter.”Anthony Bamford, the founder’s son, has been chairman since 1975 and oversaw JCB’s transformation from a predominantly British manufacturer into a global business. During the 80 year old’s tenure, the company expanded overseas, including in India, which has become one of its key manufacturing hubs. Bamford was made a Conservative peer in 2013, and has been a major political donor, giving £200,000 ($264,890) each to Reform UK and the Tories last year.

His son George, 45, started out in the luxury-watch world, founding Mayfair-based business Bamford Watch Department, before taking a senior role at JCB. The company generated £642 million in pretax profit in 2025, down from £687 million the previous year. JCB said machinery sales fell 5% amid weakness in the North American and Indian markets, and that the business was grappling with geopolitical uncertainty.

JCB employs more than 20,000 people worldwide and, next month, the company will open a one million-square-foot factory in Texas, having previously announced plans to double the size of the site to help limit the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.