VOLVO'S LEX KERSSEMAKERS ADDRESSES ECONOMIC CLUB OF CHICAGO DURING 2016 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW MEDIA PREVIEW
CHICAGO (February 11, 2016) - Lex Kerssemakers, senior vice president, The Americas Region, CEO Volvo Car USA, delivered the keynote speech during the Economic Club of Chicago's (ECC) luncheon at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show Media Preview. The ECC luncheon is a cornerstone event of the Chicago Auto Show Media Preview, boasting past speeches from Bill Ford, Jim Press, Henrik Fisker, Ralph Gilles, Jonathan Browning and Yoshi Inaba.
Kerssemakers was appointed to his current position in 2014. He has a fundamental understanding of product strategy, purchasing and sales and marketing. He has led international teams in the U.K., Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. Kerssemakers has served under Swedish, U.S. and Chinese ownership, aligning shareholder and customer perspectives.
Kerssemakers addressed an audience of more than 900 ECC members, guests and journalists. Displayed during the luncheon was the Volvo S90. He presented Volvo's plans for addressing emissions, congestion and accidents. He identified these three topics as leading challenges in the automotive industry.
"Keeping in mind these three challenges, they set our direction and began our transformation, and is the roadmap behind our technology," said Kerssemakers.
Kerssemakers concluded with a statement about Volvo's dedication to ensuring the safety of its drivers.
"Volvo is a people-centric brand. Every decision always starts with and fully encompasses the people. Our Vision 2020 ultimately is about people and that no one should be killed or seriously injured in the new Volvo car," said Kerssemakers. "To achieve this, we have pushed the boundaries of active and passive safety development. It's not the tech for tech's sake and it's not about showing off. It's about real people and real lives."
The luncheon ended with an interactive Q&A session with Kerssemakers and audience members.