The Board of Directors of AB Volvo has decided to appoint Olof Persson, 46, currently President of Volvo Construction Equipment, as the new President and CEO of Volvo. Persson will assume the position as President of AB Volvo and CEO of the Volvo Group on September 1 this year when Leif Johansson, as announced previously, retires. As of May 1, Persson will become EVP and deputy CEO and work parallel with Johansson.
“During his time at Volvo Aero and Volvo Construction Equipment, Olof Persson has gained the right experience and demonstrated the characteristics that make him highly suited to take over as President of AB Volvo and CEO of the Volvo Group and replace Leif Johansson who has strategically transformed and grown the Volvo Group while maintaining the core values of the company,” said Louis Schweitzer, Chairman of the Volvo Board.
“Naturally, it is both an honor and a challenge to be provided with the opportunity to lead Sweden’s largest company,” said Persson. “Volvo is a company with tremendously knowledgeable and committed employees, with a unique culture and with many strong and exciting brands and I am truly looking forward to the task.”
The Board of Directors of AB Volvo has reviewed a large number of both internal and external candidates for some time with a view to identifying a replacement for Johansson. Persson was chosen due, among other factors, to his experience in managing large global organizations and to his successes as president of two of the Volvo Group’s subsidiaries.
“Olof Persson has performed remarkably well, first as President of Volvo Aero and then of Volvo Construction Equipment,” said Schweitzer. “During his time at Volvo Construction Equipment in the midst of the financial crisis, he succeeded in restructuring the company and making it one of the most successful in its industry, in terms of both profitability and size – this was no small achievement.”
As of May 1, Persson will become EVP of AB Volvo as well as Deputy CEO during the period until the end of August. Persson’s successor as President of Volvo Construction Equipment will be announced in the near future.
Persson is a graduate economist and holds a BA from Karlstad University. He began his career at ABB and, among other assignments, held a number of executive positions at AdTranz and Bombardier. In conjunction with his appointment as President of Volvo Aero in 2006, he also became a member of Volvo’s Group Executive Committee.
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