New ACEA President Elected
The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) has elected Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Mercedes-Benz Group, as its new President. He will assume the role on January 1, 2025.
Ola Källenius will take over the presidency from Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault Group, who has held the position for the past two years.
The Board also approved Stellantis' request to become a full member, and this group will rejoin ACEA, also on January 1, 2025.
The outgoing ACEA President and CEO of the Renault Group, Luca de Meo, expressed his gratitude to the Board of Directors and all ACEA members.
"Now is the time to strengthen our collaboration within the Association more than ever, just as we must in Europe. Stellantis' return to ACEA is a signal that our industry is strong, and it will be even stronger now that we are united. European car manufacturers are facing an unprecedented competitiveness crisis while simultaneously managing a challenging decarbonization transition. At this critical moment, unity in our sector is paramount. I know this belief is shared with Ola Källenius. He can count on my full support as he assumes the role of ACEA President. For my part, I remain fully committed to moving the European industry forward," Luca de Meo stated unequivocally.
Interestingly, the ACEA President is elected for a one-year term, renewable once, from among the CEOs of member companies — the 14 largest European manufacturers of cars, vans, trucks, and buses operating worldwide.
Biography of Ola Källenius
The new ACEA President, Ola Källenius, is also the Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Ola Källenius has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG — now Mercedes-Benz Group AG — since January 1, 2015, and Chairman of the Board of Management since May 22, 2019. He is also Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG. He has been appointed to these positions in the German giant until May 2029.
Källenius was born on June 11, 1969, in Västervik, Sweden. After passing the "Abitur" (university entrance examination) at Danderyd Gymnasium (Sweden), he served in the Swedish Army in 1988/89. From 1989 to 1993, he studied at the Stockholm School of Economics (Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting) and the CEMS Program (Master’s in International Management) at the University of St. Gallen. He joined the former Daimler-Benz AG as a trainee in the International Management Associate Program in 1993.
Previous positions within the company:
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