New Freightliner GM named

New General Manager appointed to head up Freightliner in Australia

Daimler Truck and Bus has announced that Stephen Downes will shortly assume the role of General Manager for Freightliner Trucks, Australia and New Zealand.

According to Daniel Whitehead, Managing Director of Daimler Truck and Bus, Mr Downes – who most recently held the role of General Sales Manager at Kenworth – brings considerable experience and expertise to the role.

"Stephen has excellent knowledge of the Australian and New Zealand truck markets," he said.

"Importantly, he is home-grown and therefore able to immediately relate to our customers when discussing product requirements and applications.

"Stephen has both an engineering degree and a commerce degree, and when you combine those with the management and sales experience he has gained over the last decade, he is the ideal person to further increase Freightliner’s market share.

"We are elated that a man of Stephen’s experience, knowledge and expertise has come on board at Freightliner; it's a great reflection of our brand and its standing in the market."

Thirty-three-year-old Downes entered the truck industry with PACCAR Australia 10 years ago. He was General Manager for DAF Trucks until April 2014, when he stepped into the role of General Sales Manager for Kenworth.

Mr Downes' appointment represents the end of a lengthy search for Daimler Truck and Bus, after the last person to hold the role – Kristi Walker – unexpectedly vacated the position and returned to her home of America in June, citing family reasons. She had held the role for just eight weeks.

In an interview with trucksales.com.au in early August, Mr Whitehead had reaffirmed that Daimler Truck and Bus wasn't about to rush its search for a suitable replacement.

"That's a bit of a quandary – to take our time and find the right person for the next 10 years, or get someone in there as the head of Freightliner who can take up that void," he had said.

"I'd rather take the more painful route personally, which is to take our time and make sure we look in America and we look both internally and externally here in Australia to find the best candidate and convince them – and I think this will easy – that it's a fantastic job."

With the arrival of Mr Downes that search has now ended. He will assume his new role in January 2015.

New Freightliner GM named

Tags