The much admired and esteemed president and CEO of Daimler Truck Australia Pacific, Daniel Whitehead, has announced he has resigned and will leave his current role at the end of this year.
Whitehead’s departure has shocked the truck industry, although for some insiders the knowledge that Daimler has been forced to divest itself of its Fuso brand for some nebulous anti-competition rules has put the future of the Daimler Trucks Australia structure in the firing line for some severe changes.
The resignation comes ahead of any announcement on which entity will be chosen to take over the distribution of Fuso in Australia. Truck and Bus News understands the reduced sales volume that the divestiture of Fuso will bring about, will down grade the local subsidiary’s status in the global Daimler Truck ecosphere and triggers a whole raft of bureaucratic implications for the company and its senior executives in Australia.
Whitehead has had a stellar 30-year career with Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz cars, including 12 years in his current role and a decade in China. Prior to joining Daimler he was a junior executive with Paccar Australia.
Whitehead oversaw the introduction of the new generation Mercedes-Benz Actros in 2016, the heavy-duty Fuso Shogun in 2019, and the all-new Freightliner Cascadia in 2020, as well as ushering in the electric truck era from 2021 with the Fuso eCanter, Mercedes-Benz eActros and eEconic models.
Daimler Truck also claims to have been the first manufacturer to introduce an electric truck in Australia, with the Fuso eCanter introduced under Whitehead’s guidance.
The company said in its statement that Whitehead had ensured Daimler Truck built a reputation in Australia and New Zealand of introducing trucks and buses with advanced safety features and low emission engines ahead of its rivals and well before regulations.
Whitehead said his time with Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz had been immensely satisfying.
“I have enjoyed every minute of my 30-year career with this remarkable company,” Whitehead said.
“It has provided me with tremendous opportunities both personally and professionally and I couldn’t thank them enough.”
Beyond his role at Daimler Truck Australia Pacific, Whitehead continues to serve on the board of the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA) in order to help secure the best possible outcomes from the trucking industry in Australia.
Whitehead will remain in his role as president and CEO of Daimler Trucks Australia until 31 December this year.
