After three years as Managing Director and three years as Sales Director, Volvo Car UK has announced that Jon Wakefield will move to Sweden on 1st June 2019.
Wakefield is promoted to the role of Managing Director, Volvo Sweden, and will work closely with the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations, Bjorn Anwall, in the integration and management of Volvo across the EMEA region.
The new Managing Director of Volvo Car UK will be Kristian Elvefors, a veteran of 16 years at Volvo in Sweden. Elvefors has led the brand's Swedish operations since 2015 and will bring huge Volvo experience to the UK market.
Wakefield leaves Volvo Car UK in rude health, having grown new car volumes from 32,000 in 2013 towards the ambition of 60,000 in 2019, a figure which the brand is well on track to attain. Already this year, the brand has delivered two of the best sales months in the UK for more than a quarter of a century, and is currently on course to deliver new car registrations in the first quarter in excess of 16,000, with a 2% market share. In the process, it has cemented its position as the country's fastest-growing premium brand.
The Swedish market is the largest for Volvo outside of China and the USA, and will be the source of much attention within the company as the transition of the Volvo brand continues, along with the integration of other Geely brands, Polestar and Lynk & Co, into the Volvo infrastructure.
Commenting on his imminent move, Wakefield said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Volvo Car UK, where we've achieved so much in recent years. We've moved the business forward considerably for all Volvo partners, and I'm hugely grateful for the combined efforts of the great team here at Volvo Car UK, the strong retailer network and our suppliers in making these results happen.
"However, the chance to lead Volvo in its domestic market at this stage of our transition and shape the future of EMEA is a great one. It's a huge opportunity that I couldn't refuse, and I'm looking forward to it with relish."
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