VOLVO Cars has made sweeping changes to its leadership team, naming two deputy CEOs and moving four of the 11 executives off its top management tier as it prepares to become an electric-only brand by 2030.

It is the biggest personnel move made at Volvo by CEO Jim Rowan, a former Dyson Group executive, who succeeded longtime CEO Hakan Samuelsson in March.

The executives gaining promotions are Bjorn Annwall and Javier Varela.

Mr Annwall, who is currently Volvo’s chief financial officer, will become deputy CEO and chief commercial officer.

He succeeds former Volvo Overseas president and longtime visitor to Australian operations,  Lex Kerssemakers, who will retire this year and move into an advisory role and join a newly-formed board below Volvo’s top-level executive management team.

Mr Annwall was named Volvo’s chief financial officer last April and played a key role in Volvo’s stock exchange listing last October.

Before becoming CFO, he was Volvo’s head of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), where he led the car-maker’s aggressive move into online sales.

This will be a key part of his new job as Volvo wants half of its global sales to be done online by 2025.

Mr Varela, who is responsible for R&D, manufacturing, procurement, supply chain and quality, will become deputy CEO and chief operating officer.

He played a key role in the 2018 opening of Volvo’s US plant near Charleston, South Carolina and has been overseeing major production changes that include switching to megacasting for large aluminium body parts.

The four members of Volvo’s executive management team who will move to the group management team are: Asia Pacific president Xiaolin Yuan; Americas president Anders Gustafsson; Europe, Middle East and Africa president Arek Nowinski; and Henrik Green, who will transition from head of product creation to head of advanced technology and sustainability.

Volvo CEO Jim Rowan said: “Our strategic direction is clear … We will create value through technology and product development, digital and software capabilities.

“That’s why we have decided to simplify our structure with clear responsibilities, and increase execution and closer collaboration across the entire business.”

By Neil Dowling