VOLVO Group Australia has appointed Philippa Wood as vice president of UD Trucks Australia.

She was previously Volvo Trucks sales manager for Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia.

Ms Wood replaces Lauren Pulitano who has moved into the role of vice president of public affairs for Volvo Group Australia.

Ms Wood will become part of the wider Volvo Group Australia leadership team.

She has a background in sales, marketing and strategy in local and international automotive segments and joined Volvo Group Australia in 2014 as part of the brand, marketing and communications team before moving across to the VGA company-owned retail business in 2020.

She was brand manager for Volvo Trucks for more than five years before moving into the head of strategic communications and PR manager, before being promoted to her most recent role as retail sales manager in March 2020.

Promoted: Ms Wood joins UD after a long association with parent company Volvo Trucks.

Before that she was also with Ford Motor Company in the UK for 10 years, with her most recent position as Ford’s brand manager where she delivered award-winning launch campaigns while driving exceptional customer outcomes.

“I’m delighted to have Philippa Wood become a part of the VGA leadership team,” said Volvo Group Australia president and CEO, Martin Merrick.

“I’ve no doubt her experience in developing teams, driving strategy and building brands will be invaluable to both UD Trucks and VGA moving forward on our transformation journey.”

Ms Wood said, “This is a very exciting time to be joining UD Trucks and I’m very much looking forward to being an integral part of the growth of UD in Australia.

“For over 50 years UD has forged an enviable, hard-earned reputation for durability, efficiency, and productivity with Australian trucking customers and it’s a privilege to be joining the UD team at a time of unprecedented success for the brand.

“The future looks very bright indeed for our customers, our dealer network and, of course for UD Trucks Australia.”