Voorhoeve fronts VGA press conference

Volvo Group Australia's reshuffled management team faces media scrutiny for the first time

The recently installed President of Volvo Group Australia, Peter Voorhoeve, has headed the organisation’s first press conference in almost two years.

The Dutchman flew into Australia in January to assume his new role, replacing Norwegian Arne Knaben, who has taken charge of Volvo’s interests in the UK.

Voorhoeve spent many years running his own company in Belgium specialising in recycling paper. As a successful entrepreneur, he was a little taken aback when his wife suggested it was time he got a ‘real job’. This led to a long association with the Volvo brand, for whom Voorhoeve has worked in Europe, China and now Australia.

At the media conference in Brisbane on Wednesday, March 19, Voorhoeve’s style was relaxed, without the corporate formality of the Swedish masters of a decade or so ago.

Following Knaben’s easy-going and inclusive style, Volvo’s ‘United Nations’ approach to senior management seems to be working for the $A33 billion (2013) global corporation.

“The biggest challenge I face,” Voorhoeve said, “is getting the standard of aftersales service equal in every dealership and service centre across Australia.”

When asked if he saw a deficiency in the equality of service provision across Australia, he said, “We can always find room for improvement.”

The new VGA boss said his major goal over the coming years was to become the number one truck manufacturer measured by customer satisfaction in Australia. He said topping the truck sales hit parade will flow from customer satisfaction.

Voorhoeve is obviously excited about coming to Australia – the first slide in his presentation was of an FH hooked up to a B-triple.

“I drove this triple and even reversed it,” he said, the boy-with-a-big-truck gleam in his eyes.

The new VGA President is in charge of a huge span of truck product. In addition to Volvo, there are the brands Mack, UD and Renault. The French truck (Renault) won’t be returning to Australia and distribution will be focused throughout the Pacific and Papua New Guinea.

The media conference was also Mitch Peden’s first formal media outing as the Vice President of Volvo under the VGA umbrella. Peden was previously in charge of the Group’s public relations in Australia.

Peden’s first big challenge will be to preside over bringing the new FM and FE models on line, with the Australian build to start in June, 2014.

The new VP says he has every intention of ‘getting his shoes dirty’ and talking to operators and drivers across Australia. This in itself will be a challenge considering the diversity of Volvo product, from FHs in high-tonnage, multi-trailer vocations in remote northern Australia to small, single-truck tipper and distribution businesses in the south.

Voorhoeve fronts VGA press conference

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