Volvo Appoints New R&D and Marketing Heads

Even with a considerable amount of time already passed since Swedish manufacturer Volvo was sold by Ford to Geely, the changes in personnel at the company's top level are far from over. The latest appointments at the higher levels of the corporate ladder involve two of Volvo's major departments, Research & Development and Marketing.

To lead the former, Volvo named Peter Mertens, a 20-year automotive industry veteran. Mertens, who previously held position with Jaguar Land Rover, Rangerover and Tata Motors, will be taking the role of head of the R&D department from Paul Welander on April 1. In his turn, Welander will move on to become vice president of Quality & Customer Satisfaction.

"Peter Mertens will play an important role for Volvo Car Corporation and he will lead the next stage of the development of the future products. I am happy to welcome a very experienced person like Peter", said Stefan Jacoby Volvo CEO.

For the marketing department, Richard Monturo, a former employee of Absolut, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, McDonald's and Volkswagen, will assume the role on April 1 as well. He already has some experience working with Volvo, as he has been involved, for the past couple of months, in the development of the global brand strategy of the Swedish auto maker.

"I am very delighted to be part of the Volvo team during these exciting times," added Richard Monturo. "The Volvo brand is built on a great foundation over many years and we will carefully develop it for a clear and well understood position in our markets around the world.”