Cellcentric recruiting new MD

The fuel cell company, which is a 50/50 joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, has announced that its Managing Director Lars Johansson will be leaving his role. Cellcentric has now begun the recruitment process for Johansson's replacement as MD, COO and CCO.

In a press release, Cellcentric revealed that Lars Johansson is leaving the company of his own accord after four years. He will return to his native Sweden where he will work as SVP for Volvo Group’s Project and Product Strategy Office, which focuses on sustainable transport and new technologies including fuel cells.

As Managing Director of Cellcentric, Johansson’s title encompassed both CCO and COO roles with oversight of marketing and communication as well as external affairs and sales. He also acted as the spokesperson for the company’s board of directors. These responsibilities will now pass to Cellcentric’s MD and CTO Nicholas Loughlan, who will also take over as the board spokesman by May 1, 2025.

In a statement, Johansson said: “It has been 4 fantastic years at Cellcentric and it’s with a lot of emotions I have decided to leave this fantastic team and move from Schwaben to Sweden. What we have achieved together in recent years is truly groundbreaking. I am 100% sure we are on the right way to success.” He added that he is confident in Cellcentric’s commercial fuel cell system, which he says is “made for heavy-duty long-haul applications”.

The company is currently recruiting for Johansson’s successor, and says this process is ongoing. No further details of when a new hire will take his place have been shared.

Cellcentric operates in Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where it has an existing pilot production line for its ‘next gen’ fuel cell system with a maximum peak output of 375 kW. In January, the company announced it had acquired a plot of land in Weilheim, where it will begin work on a ‘large scale’ production facility for its fuel cell system.

These efforts are geared towards the planned FCEV trucks of its two shareholders, Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, with 100 of Daimler Truck’s GenH2 fuel cell trucks set for customer delivery by the end of 2026. However, Cellcentric says it plans to cover the ‘entire ecosystem’ around fuel cell systems, including maintenance and recycling – so the company’s products could one day be sold to third parties.

cellcentric.net