Volvo Cars new CEO: ‘Gothenburg will continue to be the epicenter for the company’
His vision for Volvo Cars, the transformations taking place in the industry, his favourite football team and the vital role Gothenburg plays for the company. On 7 June, hundreds of representatives from the local business community had the chance to meet and hear more from Volvo Cars new CEO, Jim Rowan, who spoke with Swedish journalist Emanuel Karlsten at our seminar in Gothenburg.
The Scotsman talked about the similarities between his home town Glasgow and Gothenburg as well as the rapid transformations taking place in the automotive industry, both in terms of new technologies and changing consumer behaviour.
“We are coming up on our 100 year anniversary. Very few companies get to be 100 years old. The foundations we lay over the next 5-8 years will have huge, profound effects on how successful we can be for the next 10, 20, 30 years. And the reason I say that is because the industry is in a massive transformation.”
Rowan also said that Volvo Cars will continue to embrace new technologies (such as LIDAR and connectivity) and business models (including car sharing and subscription-based services). It will become an automotive technology company.
New talent will be needed to make this shift. He said that Volvo has a strong brand and by being a company with a real purpose - to save the planet and save lives – it can attract top talent from all over the world either to Gothenburg or one of its knowledge hubs around the world.
Rowan also talked about the long-term investments the company has made in Gothenburg and the region, including the new battery gigafactory it is building together with Northvolt. In addition, he highlighted the important role the city plays for the company.
“Gothenburg is the spiritual home and the heartbeat of Volvo Cars. And it will continue to be the epicenter for the company,” said Jim Rowan.
A replay of the full half-hour interview is available below.
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Interview with Volvo Cars' new CEO, Jim Rowan
If you are having problems seeing the video, it can also be viewed here.