Kai Wörner appointed as new managing director of Cellcentric

Within the Cellcentric executive board, newcomer Wörner will primarily oversee operational business as COO, while also assuming overall responsibility in his role as Managing Director. The other members of the executive board include CFO Niklas Ekström and CTO Nicholas Loughlan, who is also a Managing Director and serves as the board’s spokesperson, representing Cellcentric externally. Loughlan took on this role on 1 May 2025, after Wörner’s predecessor, Lars Johansson, returned to the Volvo Group. Since then, the search for a new COO had been underway.

According to his new employer’s announcement, Kai Wörner brings “extensive operational experience from various leadership roles in Germany and abroad, including at Bosch.” He was responsible for process and machine development in the field of injection systems at the Bamberg site (Germany), the plant in Charleston (South Carolina, USA), and later at the Hildesheim site in Germany. Most recently, he served as COO for EU/US operations at AESC, a global leader in high-performance batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

“I am excited to contribute my experience and ideas to Cellcentric as Chief Operating Officer,” Wörner said. “Cellcentric has a compelling structure for the successful industrialisation and market leadership of fuel cells for heavy-duty applications.”

Nicholas Loughlan added: “We are delighted to welcome Kai to Cellcentric and the team. His extensive and diverse experience in production and production technology is a fantastic asset for Cellcentric.”

Cellcentric was founded in 2021 by Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group (not to be confused with the car manufacturer Volvo Cars) as a joint venture to produce fuel cells for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The company is constructing a dedicated factory in Weilheim an der Teck, Baden-Württemberg, although completion has been delayed. While Daimler Truck’s GenH2 Truck is already undergoing customer trials, the manufacturer has postponed series production of fuel cell electric trucks from the end of this decade to the 2030s. Consequently, Cellcentric must also revise its plans.

Source: Info via email