Force India's long-standing Director of Business Affairs, Ian Phillips, is leaving the Silverstone-based team after 19 years with the outfit.

In his tenure for the team, starting with Jordan Grand Prix, Phillips has been responsible for sponsorship acquisition and activation, commercial direction and ongoing negotiations with the FIA and commercial rights' holder, FOM, and the signing of over 50 drivers.

He has a long and rich heritage in motorsport. In 1976 he joined Donington Park as circuit manager, overseeing the re-opening of the track after several years of closure, but then moved on to become the administrator of the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Treatment fund, having been very close to the Swedish driver.

After that he returned to journalism and for the next eight years worked as a freelance reporter and public relations man - working with companies such as March Engineering, Marlboro and Bridgestone - specialising in Formula 2 racing. He would continue in these roles until Robin Herd - the founder of March - asked him if he would like to be the team manager of the new March F1 team. Ian helped to set up the team and ran it for the first couple of years, continuing in the same role when the team became Leyton House Racing in 1989.

In 1990 Ian moved to the new 7-Up Jordan team as commercial manager, beginning a lifelong friendship with Eddie Jordan. He has been with the team ever since working on the commercial side with major deals including 7-Up, Sasol, Benson & Hedges, Deutsche Post World Net and hundreds of smaller ones.