Volvo Group appoints new MD for Volvo India

August 21, 2012: The Volvo Group has announced the appointment of Philippe Divry as the new managing director of Volvo India and senior vice-president, Truck Joint Ventures India of the Volvo Group.

Divry will oversee the resourcing and optimisation of the Volvo Group’s 4,000-plus workforce in India and support the ambitious growth plans of the Group’s different business areas and functions. In this role, he becomes the statutory head of the Volvo Group organisation in India. A senior vice-president of the Group, he is the highest ranking executive of the Volvo Group ever positioned in India.

Divry also joins as a Board Member of the Volvo Group’s joint venture company VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), which includes the entire Eicher Motors truck and bus operations and the distribution of the Volvo Trucks vehicles. He will, therefore, be responsible for the overall performance of the truck business in India.

Additionally, Divry will play a key role in interfacing between the Volvo Group Truck organisations such as Group Trucks Technology and Group Trucks Operations and their relations with the Volvo Group’s JV companies such as VECV, especially in areas such as business development, synergy projects and know-how transfer.

This appointment follows the launch of Volvo Group’s new organisation globally earlier in 2012, which restructured its global trucks business and created a new division, Truck Joint Ventures, focusing on the two biggest markets of the world, India and China, where the Volvo Group has significant partnerships. This division is led by Pär Östberg, executive vice-president and a member of the Volvo Group’s executive team. Divry will be based in Bangalore, and will report directly to Pär Östberg.

“India is in an exciting growth phase with growing prosperity and an increasing focus on investing for the future through infrastructure. The Volvo Group recognises India as one of the strategic markets for the future and is committed to develop its operations and deliver increased customer satisfaction here. Nearly half of the Volvo Group Executive Team is part of the new Board of Directors for Volvo India, a sign of our commitment to India,” said Östberg.

Commenting on his appointment, Philippe Divry said: “India is both the second-biggest trucks market, where we have high ambitions, and a global hub from which we can export products and services. We have a strong willingness to increase our market participation here as our strategy is well in place, and we have a very good partnership with Eicher Motors . My appointment reflects the long-term interest Volvo Group sees here, despite the short term turbulence in the India economy. I am privileged to undertake this responsibility of maintaining and deepening our commitment to India.”

Divry, 47, has over two decades of experience in the commercial vehicles and automotive industries, both at Renault Trucks and in the Volvo Group. He has a background in operations and project management, and was head of Volvo Powertrain France from 2003 to 2008. He also held significant positions in Business Development and Strategic Planning, and was since 2009 head of Global Product and Marketing for Volvo Bus Corporation in Sweden. He has been part of significant co-operation with international partners and has exercised responsibilities as Board member in companies such as Prevost Cars in North America, Sunwin Bus Corporation (China), and Volvo Logistics (Sweden).

SHOBHA MATHUR