Volvo Vehicles has begun the seek for a brand new head of buying to exchange Martina Buchhauser, who led the automaker’s push to extra ethically and sustainably supply supplies since arriving from BMW in 2017.
Buchhauser will return to Germany on the finish of this month to “tackle new alternatives,” a spokeswoman instructed Automotive Information Europe.
She might be changed on an interim foundation by Johan Larsson beginning Feb. 1. Larsson will coordinate Volvo’s buying operations till the corporate decides on Buchhauser’s successor.
Larsson will report back to Javier Varela, who’s Volvo’s govt administration crew member for industrial operations and high quality.
Buchhauser held a submit on Volvo’s board till final April, which was when Volvo determined to roll procurement into the Varela’s duties.
The same transfer by Volvo in 2019 price the automaker its former chief digital officer, Atif Rafiq, who left the corporate quickly after losing his place on the manager administration crew.
Underneath her management Volvo started in search of suppliers that would present contemporary concepts to assist it obtain an bold sustainability purpose. By 2025 the Swedish automaker desires not less than 25 p.c of the plastics utilized in each newly launched Volvo to be created from recycled supplies, up from about 5 p.c at the moment.
“To hurry up this course of we’re additionally speaking to the chemical compounds and uncooked supplies suppliers. And, to be even sooner, in order that we will start testing even earlier, we’re inviting new companions to assist us innovate collectively on recycled supplies or supplies from renewable assets,” Buchhauser told ANE at the time.
Buchhauser additionally helped Volvo take steps to ethically supply supplies used to make the batteries in electrified autos.
For instance, Volvo is now working with UK-based blockchain startup Circulor to trace the origins of its provide of cobalt, a key uncooked materials for batteries. Cobalt is mined virtually solely within the Congo, the place instability permits some mining corporations to take advantage of their employees.
“We’ve got gone by means of each step of the provision chain to the cobalt mine to verify it’s ethically appropriate,” Buchhauser told a panel final July.
As well as, she slimmed down a list of 10 potential EV battery suppliers to 2 — CATL and LG Chem — that might be tasked with protecting the automaker’s provide wants for the following decade.
Buchhauser’s elimination from Volvo’s govt administration crew is a part of the automaker’s proceed efforts to shrink its board. Since 2019 the crew has been decreased to 10 members from 15.
Together with Buchhauser, Volvo final 12 months eliminated former head of enterprise technique Marten Levenstam from the board. He stays with the corporate as head of economic technique and experiences to Lex Kerssemakers, who’s the manager administration crew member chargeable for industrial operations.
Together with Rafiq, former head of communications David Ibison and design chief Thomas Ingenlath had been moved off Volvo’s prime board in 2019.
Ibison left the corporate to arrange his personal communications consultancy. He now serves as a particular adviser to Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson and the manager administration crew.
Ingenlath stays with the corporate as total design boss on the automaker and CEO of electrical automobile subsidiary Polestar.