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MEET THE MAN WHO WILL LEAD THE INEOS CHARGE INTO AUSTRALIA'S 4x4 MARKET

- DANIEL GARDNER

JUSTIN HOCEVAR is no stranger to adventure and a challenge. As if earning a living as a motorcycle courier on London's notoriously dangerous streets in his early 20s wasn't enough of a testament to his fortitude, the trip home to Australia after four years in the UK was completed using a Honda XRV750 Africa Twin and 12-month overland adventure. Of course, the journey would have been far simpler by air, but Hocevar tells Wheels that a year-long odyssey through countries including Iran, Pakistan and Nepal teaches you a few things that the inside of a Boeing 747 cannot.

"Going out into the unknown leaves a mark on you that you can approach anything and everything, and your consideration of the possibilities is a little broader," he said. "But also it leaves you with a longing for doing things differently and not taking the path well-trodden."

Over a long and varied career in the Australian automotive industry, Hocevar's resume includes a tenure with BMW helping to transform Motorrad from a range of motorcycles for grey nomads into a vibrant adventure brand, and turning Renault's flat-lining sales into five years of growth from his first year at the helm. But the longing for adventure and a desire to break the mould isn't fading with experience. In fact, his latest venture is arguably the most ambitious and risky-leading challenger brand Ineos into the fearsomely fickle Australian market.