Polestar Chairman steps down amid executive shakeup

Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar has seen its latest executive shakeup, with Chairman and former Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson retiring from the automaker. The news was announced on June 18, 2024. 

Samuelsson has overseen Polestar since its inception as an independent entity all the way to its initial public offering (IPO) in June 2022. His retirement will take effect following Polestar’s annual shareholder meeting. A date for the meeting has yet to be confirmed, however, as noted in an Automotive News report.

In a comment, Samuelsson noted that he was proud of the work he did at Polestar. “I am extremely proud of what Polestar has achieved in such a short time. Polestar combines design, luxury, and performance in a way that creates the most attractive cars available in a fast-growing EV market,” he said. 

Taking the helm from Samuelsson will be Winfried Vahland, a veteran in the automotive industry. Prior to his stint at Polestar, Vahland served as the CEO and President of Volkswagen Group China and CEO of Škoda Auto. He was also on the Board of Volvo Cars from 2019-2024.

In a comment, the new Polestar Chairman stated that he is looking forward to fully realizing the automaker’s potential. 

“The world has been wowed by Polestar 2. Our product offensive is now unleashing its full power, with Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 on the market and Polestar 5 receiving impressive early reviews. I look forward to helping steer Polestar towards fully realizing its potential,” he said. 

Polestar’s executive shakeup is also happening in North America. Former CEO of Volvo Car USA, Anders Gustafsson, will assume leadership of Polestar’s United States and Canada operations from July 1, 2024. Gustafsson will be replacing Gregor Hembrough, who has been promoted to head of Polestar’s global sales operations. 

Polestar UK has also welcomed Matt Galvin as its new Managing Director. Galvin previously led the UK operations of Chinese EV manufacturer Nio. He also previously worked at Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz.

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