Volvo's plan to become an electric-only brand by 2030 is changing the makeup of the company.
While it eliminates more than 1,000 so-called white collar jobs around the world, it also plans to add a slew of new people with expertise in areas that are new to the company.
"We need to open some white space to bring in the skills that we need for that future," CEO Jim Rowan told Automotive News Europe prior to announcing the company's second-quarter results. "That is obviously software, analytics, machine learning, A.I., electrification, power electronics. These are all new. In addition, we need experts in battery technology, battery chemistry, inverters and silicon carbide."
The breadth of the personnel shuffle has also been evident at the upper level of the company, where five changes to the Group Management Team have taken place in less than three months, increasing the group's size to 15.
The so-called GMT is a tier below Volvo's seven-person Executive Management Team, which is led by Rowan.
The changes started June 30 with the hiring of Gretchen Saegh-Fleming, a "digital-first business leader" who as the new head of global marketing is tasked with helping Volvo reach its goal of generating half of its global vehicle sales online by 2025.
The former chief marketing officer at cosmetics giant L'Oreal inherits marketing responsibilities previously handled by Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy CEO Bjorn Annwall.