“With Jarle as a part of the Executive Committee we increase the management’s focus on recruitment, talent management and succession planning. The automotive industry is very competitive and bringing in the right candidates and having a continuous focus on people development and training at all levels is key to our success. Ultimately we want to secure having the right people in the right seats,” says CEO Hans Peter Havdal.

Havdal also announced Bent Wessel-Aas will be stepping down from the Executive Committee and take on the position as the new Managing Director for Kongsberg Automotive’s Chinese Joint Venture called Shanghai Kongsberg Automotive Dong Feng Morse (SKADFM). The Joint Venture is a key part of Kongsberg Automotive’s strategy for growth on commercial vehicle platforms in the Chinese market. Wessel-Aas has been with KA since 1985 and has held several managerial positions, the last being Executive Vice President for Business Development. 

"Bent was instrumental in establishing our first facility in China and has more than five years experience from working in China. Today we see China as the single most important market in KA's growth strategy, and therefore I’m very pleased that Bent has accepted to lead our Joint Venture in Shanghai. With his extensive experience from the automotive industry and across the KA organization, he will be securing and supporting a successful growth for the very important commercial vehicle market in the region. ", says CEO Hans Peter Havdal.