Braunschweig, September 09, 2015 – Just five months after the initial go-ahead, the management team at Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH, led by CEO Andreas Renschler, is complete. Matthias Gründler (49) took up his post as CFO of the holding on September 1. Lars Stenqvist (48) has now been appointed to head the cross-divisional research and development function. This completes the team of top professionals. "I am extremely satisfied we are kicking off with such as strong team," Renschler commented.
The management of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH is made up as follows: Andreas Renschler, CEO, Matthias Gründler, CFO, Antonio Roberto Cortes, CEO of MAN Latin America, Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, and Per Hallberg, CEO of Scania. In addition, the heads of the cross-divisional functions, who are to steer and intensify cooperation among the brands, have also been appointed: Ulf Berkenhagen, Procurement, Anders Nielsen, Business Development, Josef Schelchshorn, Human Resources, and Lars Stenqvist, Research & Development. Together, the nine top managers form the Truck Board, the holding's managing body.
Renschler underscored: "We want to create a Global Champion with our truck holding. That is why it is important for us to unite excellent, international and integrative personalities into one lean team." The managers have extensive experience in the commercial vehicles industry. They will move into the holding's headquarters in Braunschweig – located close to the Volkswagen Group – at the end of this year and will network with the brand locations in Munich, Södertälje and São Paulo.
"The holding will provide focused and efficient management of the Volkswagen Group's truck business," Renschler said. "We will bring the units closer together, intensify the global presence and strengthen our brands. Everyone, above all our customers, will benefit from that."
In May 2015, the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG decided to set up a holding to bundle business in heavy- and medium-duty trucks. Since then, a small working group chaired by Andreas Renschler has been working on swiftly building up Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH.
Matthias Gründler trained as an industrial clerk and subsequently studied economics before joining Daimler AG in 1989. Following several management posts in Germany and abroad, he was appointed CFO at Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks & Bus Corp. in Japan in 2008. Three years later, he was named Head of Procurement and Development Powertrain at Daimler Trucks & Buses. He served as CFO at Daimler Trucks & Buses with responsibility for Finance and Controlling from 2012 to February 2015. Gründler became CFO at Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH on September 1, 2015.
Lars Stenqvist studied production technology and management. In 1992, he joined Scania as a trainee and held various senior management posts in Sweden, Argentina and the Netherlands before being appointed Head of the Scania Project Office in Södertälje, Sweden, in 2004. He became Senior Vice President Vehicle Definition and Product Quality in 2007. Stenqvist will lead the Research & Development function at Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH from October 1, 2015.
Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and is a global leader in commercial vehicles with its MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brands. In 2016, the brands of Volkswagen Truck & Bus sold a total of 184,000 vehicles. Its product range includes light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks as well as vans and buses that are manufactured at 25 sites in 17 countries. As of December 31, 2016, the company employed 77,000 people at all commercial vehicle brands worldwide. The Group is committed to driving transportation to the next level — in terms of products, services and as a partner for its customers.