Volvo Car Australia has announced the appointment of Stephen Connor as its new Managing Director, effective January 1, 2021.
He replaces current Managing Director Nick Connor (no relation) who has been
promoted to Head of APEC for Volvo Cars based in Shanghai. Nick will also
join the APAC Management Team.
Stephen Connor brings more than 20 years of car industry experience in
Australia, the UK and the Middle East to his new role. As Sales Director,
current responsibilities at Volvo Car Australia include sales, dealer network,
product and after sales operations.
Prior to joining Volvo in 2017 Mr Connor served in various senior sales roles
with Kia and Volkswagen. He also has significant retail experience previously
having worked for one of Australia's largest privately-owned automotive
groups.
Commenting on the appointments Mr Xiaolin Yuan, Head of APAC said: "Since
joining our Australian operations in 2017 Nick and his team have achieved
consecutive double-digit growth. I am confident his experience and leadership
will bring great value to the continued growth of the region.
"Stephen has a wealth of car industry experience in Australia and the UK and a
proven track record in sales, strategy and market planning. We look forward to
Stephen taking the Australian business to the next level."
Ends
Volvo Car Group in 2019
For the 2019 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 14.3 BSEK (14.2 BSEK
in 2018). Revenue over the period amounted to 274.1 BSEK (252.7 BSEK). For the full year 2019,
global sales reached a record 705,452 (642,253) cars, an increase of 9.8 per cent versus 2018. The
results underline the comprehensive transformation of Volvo Cars' finances and operations in recent
years, positioning the company for its next growth phase.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected car brands
in the world with sales of 705,452 cars in 2019 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under
the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010.
In 2019, Volvo Cars employed on average approximately 41,500 (41,500) full-time employees. Volvo
Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in
Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for APAC is located in Shanghai. The company's main
car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US),
Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou
(China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).
Under its new company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in
a personal, sustainable and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions:
for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars
and to establish five million direct consumer relationships. Volvo Cars is also committed to an
ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.