Deputy CEO Javier Varela leaves Volvo Cars
According to a company statement, Javier will step down from his role “will step out of his role to prepare for his new opportunity with immediate effect.” Varela has been a member of Volvo Cars’ Executive Management Team since 2016 and COO and Deputy CEO since 2022. As a consequence, and “in line with the company’s ongoing succession planning and organisation design,” the company’s Executive Management Team (EMT) will be expanded to include Erik Severinson as Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Anders Bell as Chief Engineering & Technology Officer and Francesca Gamboni as Chief Supply Chain Officer. They all report to CEO Jim Rowan.
“I am delighted to welcome Anders, Erik and Francesca to our Executive Management Team. This change will help us to flatten our structure in operations and elevate these important areas as we deliver on our technological and commercial transformation,” said Jim Rowan, CEO, Volvo Cars. “At the same time, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Javier, who has decided to pursue new challenges outside of the company after almost eight years of immense contributions to Volvo Cars. We wish him and his family the very best in their future endeavours.”
Javier was appointed COO and deputy CEO in 2022 following a reorganisation that Rowan had initiated. Rowan himself had only recently taken over as CEO from long-time Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson.
Anders Bell is an interesting appointment from an electric mobility perspective. He has been Head of Engineering at Volvo Cars since 2022 and, as mentioned, is now moving up to the Executive Management Team. Although he has been with the company for a long time, he spent six years in management positions at Tesla before 2022. In his current role at Volvo Cars, Bell is responsible for vehicle engineering, research and development in the areas of hardware and software as well as safety.
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