Håkan Samuelsson (born 19 March 1951) is a Swedish businessman who is chairman of the executive board (

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

) of Volvo Cars Corporation AB from October 2012 to January 2022. Previously, he was CEO of

MAN SE MAN SE (abbreviation of ''Maschinenfabrik Augsburg- Nürnberg'', ) was a manufacturing and engineering company based in Munich, Germany. Its primary output was commercial vehicles and diesel engines through its MAN Truck & Bus and MAN Latin ...

from January 2005 to November 2009.

Education

Samuelsson began studying at the

Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1972, obtaining a degree in mechanical engineering (M.Sc.M.E.).

Career

In 1977 Samuelsson joined

Scania AB Scania AB ( , ), stylised SCANIA in its products, is a major Sweden, Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for hea ...

, Södertälje, Sweden, in the field of braking systems design. He subsequently held various technical management positions, becoming director of Powertrain in 1988. In 1993 he took over as technical director of Scania Latin America and in 1996 was appointed to the executive board of Scania AB, with responsibility for development and production. In July 2000 he was appointed chairman of the executive board of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG and also a member of the executive board of MAN Aktiengesellschaft, both Munich. Samuelsson was appointed chairman of the executive board of MAN in January 2005, a position he held until resigning on 24 November 2009. Samuelsson was also Board Chair of

Polestar Polestar is a Swedish automotive manufacturer that produces electric cars. Principally owned by Li Shufu's PSD Investment, Geely Holding and Volvo Cars, the company is headquartered in Torslanda, outside Gothenburg, Sweden. With an "asset-ligh ...

, a Swedish automotive manufacturer. On 18th June 2024 Polestar announced Winfried Vahland is to be appointed Board Chair, as Samuelsson is to retire. On March 30, 2025,

Volvo Cars Volvo Car AB, trading as Volvo Cars (, styled VOLVO in the company's logo) is a Sweden, Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles. Volvo is headquartered in Torslanda, Gothenburg. The company manufactures SUVs, station wagons, and ...

announced the reappointment of Håkan Samuelsson as CEO, succeeding Jim Rowan, who will step down on March 31. Samuelsson, who previously led the company from 2012 to 2022, will serve a two-year term while Volvo searches for a long-term successor. This leadership change follows Volvo's recent warning of a challenging and competitive year ahead.

References

Living people 1951 births KTH Royal Institute of Technology alumni MAN SE Swedish chief executives in the automobile industry Volvo Cars Volvo people People from Motala {{Sweden-business-bio-stub