Following Håkan Samuelsson’s return to the CEO position in the spring, Volvo Cars has made further changes to its top management team. In addition, there will be managers responsible for the individual product lines in the future.
In March, Volvo’s board of directors dismissed CEO Jim Rowan and appointed his predecessor, Håkan Samuelsson, as his successor for two years, until a younger and long-term successor is found.
“The announced changes underline the company’s continued commitment to enhancing its customer offering, ensuring the right product line-up for each region, and delivering stronger commercial performance,” says the official press release.
Strengthening the management
Samuelsson and the board are further restructuring the management team. Erik Severinson has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. As part of his new role, Erik will continue to serve on Volvo Cars’ Executive Management Team. Having spent his career at Volvo Cars working across finance, strategy, and product, Erik most recently served as Chief Product & Strategy Officer.
Severinson is succeeded in this last role by Michael Fleiss, who is returning to Volvo. Fleiss worked for the Swedish carmaker for almost ten years until 2021, most recently as Managing Director Combustion Powertrain Operations, before moving to Aurobay Sweden, which Horse Powertrain, the joint venture between Geely and Renault, later took over. Most recently, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Horse Powertrain.
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“I’m very pleased to welcome Erik to this new role, and to welcome Michael back to Volvo Cars,” said Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars. “Erik and Michael are highly experienced and bring a deep understanding of our company and customers, strategy, and operations. The changes we are making will strengthen Volvo Cars at this pivotal moment for the company and the industry.”
“In a rapidly changing and highly competitive market, we need to be more connected than ever to our customers’ expectations across every region,” responded Erik Severinson.“I’m excited to bring our regional, product, and commercial teams closer together to ensure we’re delivering a compelling offer to every customer, wherever they are, and strengthening Volvo Cars’ position as a truly customer-centric, global brand”.
“I’m delighted to return to Volvo Cars and take on the role of Chief Strategy & Product Officer,” Michael Fleiss commented on his return. “Whilst this is a challenging time for the industry, it’s an incredibly energizing moment to be in strategy development. We are in the middle of a transformative change driven by electrification and technology, and Volvo Cars is well-positioned to lead the way in delivering these benefits to customers.”
Regionalizing the sales structure
This move will also bring about organisational changes. Volvo Cars’ sales team will be divided into regions in the future. “The newly announced regions will form the commercial team under Erik Severinson’s leadership,” the Swedish car manufacturer announced. In addition, the company plans to appoint product line managers or ‘Product Line Owners’ for its different product lines. They will then also report to Chief Commercial Officer Severinson.
