Volvo Car Corp. has named Alain Visser, a former Opel executive, to its sales and marketing team. Effective September 3, 2012, Visser will be responsible for managing Volvo’s global sales operations and will report to Doug Speck, the Swedish carmaker’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. According to Speck, Visser’s solid experience within sales and marketing will make a great contribution to Volvo Car’s long-term growth ambitions. Volvo is aiming to increase its global sales from 449,255 units in 2011 to around 800,000 vehicles in 2020. Essential to Volvo’s long-term goals will be China, where it commenced in June the construction of an engine plant in Zhangjiakou. The Zhangjiakou plant, which will begin operations in 2014, is part of the carmaker’s effort to increase its annual vehicle sales in China from 47,150 in 2011 to 200,000 by 2020. The carmaker is also planning to build two vehicle assembly plants in China. Visser started out as a sales analyst at Ford Belgium in 1987. In 2004, he signed up with General Motors as executive director for sales development projects at Opel, and then became the unit’s head of sales and marketing. Visser left GM in March 2012, weeks after the carmaker announced that he will be responsible for coordinating marketing operations in Europe at Chevrolet.
Volvo appoints Alain Visser, former Opel executive, to manage its global sales operations
by Gerald Ferreira, Email, 23 Aug, 2012
Alain Visser
