Less than three months after taking up the role of vice president of Sales for Volvo Trucks Australia Clive Jones, Volvo has announced that it has appointed a new person to the position.
The company issued a statement yesterday announcing it had appointed Tony O’Connell to the role but no mention was made of Mr. Jones, who only took up his position on 1 August this year.
Truck and Bus News has been told after enquiring about why Mr Jones has been replaced that he has returned to New Zealand for personal reasons.
“Unfortunately Clive Jones retuned to New Zealand recently for personal family reasons, and will not be returning to Volvo Group Australia. He leaves with our sincerest best wishes and our thanks for his work while with the Group,” said Volvo Group media advisor, Kate McFerran.
Volvo’s statement says Mr O’Connell comes to the role after 13 years with the Volvo Group in a range of roles starting as a project coordinator before being promoted to a series of roles in project management, business development and retail support.
Newly appointed president and CEO of the Volvo Group Australia, Martin Merrick said the appointment demonstrated the Group’s confidence in Mr. O’Connell’s expertise in understanding and responding to customers’needs.
“Tony has been a valuable part of the Volvo Group family for the past 13 years staring as a project coordinator before moving on to roles in project management, business development and retail support. .He has a deep understanding of our customers gained through a variety of roles at the Group over this time,”Mr Merrick said.
“He has led the development of after sales and services through close partnership with our dealership network in Australia and New Zealand by delivering superior customer service. With a career grounded in grassroots customer work at dealership level, Tony brings deep insight and passion for the brand to the role.
“I have full confidence that Tony will lead the Volvo Trucks Australia team through an exciting time ahead for the brand, and further build on its great market success in Australia and New Zealand to deliver a premium customer experience.”
Mr O’Connell said he is looking forward to working even more closely with customers of all sizes to demonstrate the strength of the Volvo Trucks brand.
“My role in Aftersales and Services has been focused on helping to resolve issues before they become problems, which means getting close to customers to understand their businesses and their priorities,” Mr O’Connell said.
“This has given me invaluable insight into what matters most to our customers, and I am looking forward to translating this into my new role leading Volvo Trucks Australia.”