Volvo Cars is reshuffling its Executive Management Team from 1 September, with Alexander Petrofski taking over as Chief Technology Officer from Anders Bell. Bell moves to lead a newly created strategic startup initiative aimed at scaling the company’s vehicle platform and digital technology to outside opportunities. Ghent plant boss Magnus Nilsson also joins the top table as Chief Manufacturing Officer.

Volvo Cars has announced a series of changes to its Executive Management Team (EMT), bringing in new members and redrawing responsibilities across several key functions and regions. According to the Swedish manufacturer, the reorganisation is intended to prepare its leadership for a more regionalised world economy, a rapidly changing car industry and shifting customer expectations in a fiercely competitive market.

A new face in the technology seat

The most prominent change concerns the technology organisation. Alexander Petrofski joins the EMT as Chief Technology Officer, taking over from Anders Bell. Bell does not leave the company: he will instead head up a newly formed strategic startup initiative inside Volvo Cars, tasked with identifying ways to scale the platform and digital technology the company has developed. He will report directly to the chief executive.

CEO Håkan Samuelsson framed the handover as a transition between phases rather than a change of direction.

“I would first like to thank Anders for his significant contributions over the past few years,” said Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars. “Anders has played a pivotal part in advancing our technology and software to a frontrunner position, as seen by the successful EX60. We are now entering a new phase based on this strong technological foundation laid for our upcoming models. I am therefore pleased to welcome Alexander Petrofski to the EMT as our new Chief Technology Officer, leading us into this new phase.”

Manufacturing gets its own seat

Magnus Nilsson, until now head of the Ghent plant in Belgium, steps up to the EMT as Chief Manufacturing Officer with responsibility for Production and Manufacturing Engineering. Ghent is one of Volvo Cars’ three European-adjacent production hubs alongside Gothenburg and the company’s US plant in South Carolina, and has been central to the brand’s electric output.

The move also narrows the remit of Francesca Gamboni, who takes on what the company describes as a more focused role as Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officer.

“These changes strengthen our leadership team, reflecting the future priorities and swift execution needed for Volvo Cars’ next phase,” Samuelsson said.

What it means

Splitting manufacturing out as a standalone board-level function, and separating it from procurement and supply chain, is a familiar response to the supply pressures and tariff-driven regionalisation that have reshaped car production planning in recent years. Volvo Cars builds in Sweden, Belgium, the United States and three sites in China, which makes regional manufacturing strategy a live issue rather than an administrative one.

The startup initiative handed to Bell is the more unusual element. The company says the brief is to define opportunities to scale its own platform and digital technology — language that points towards licensing or selling engineering assets developed in-house, though Volvo Cars has not spelled out the commercial model or named any partners.

The wider picture

Volvo Cars sold more than 710,000 cars in 2025, with electrified models accounting for 46% of that total, and employed an average of 42,600 full-time staff. The company remains committed to becoming a fully electric car maker and to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. It is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker “VOLCAR B”.

The new structure takes effect on 1 September.

Facts: Volvo Cars management changes

  • New Chief Technology Officer: Alexander Petrofski, succeeding Anders Bell
  • Anders Bell’s new role: leading a newly formed strategic startup initiative, reporting to the CEO
  • New Chief Manufacturing Officer: Magnus Nilsson, previously head of the Ghent plant
  • Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officer: Francesca Gamboni, in a more focused role
  • Effective from: 1 September
  • 2025 sales: more than 710,000 cars, 46% electrified
  • Employees: 42,600 full-time on average

Source: news.cision.com