Swede starts Australian management in July after stint as head of parts and service
Mikael Jansson will be Scania Australia managing director from July 1 as Roger McCarthy steps aside after eight years at the helm.
Jansson joins Scania Australia from Scania in Sweden where he held the position of senior vice president and head of parts and service, Scania CV AB. He joined Scania in 1984.
McCarthy will remain on the board and have responsibilities internationally.
“While I am moving on from my role and therefore no longer playing a part in the day-to-day operations of the business, I am to remain a non-executive director of the Scania Australia board,” he says.
“In addition, I will be taking on further non-executive board positions across a number of key Scania growth markets in Asia and Oceania as well as some European markets.
“When I came to the role in Australia it was the start of a journey of genuine stability and growth for the company, and despite the dislocation of the GFC, we have been able to build solid foundations for the business to ensure we service and support our valued customers throughout Australia.
“I am now vacating the driving seat in favour of my colleague Mr Mikael Jansson.
“I am very confident we have in place a robust management structure, in both retail sales and services, as well as from the distributor/Dealer Support Centre perspective that will ensure the business continues to thrive in this market.
“I would like to wish Mikael, the Scania Australia management team, our existing customers and the ever-growing number of new customers of the Scania brand, every success in the future.”
Scania Australia notes that in his time in the top job here, McCarthy has overseen innovation across a number of business areas, with the introduction in 2010 of the first manufacturer-owned truck rental operation, the establishment of a dedicated mining and resources division, the driver training and coaching team and driver services division to enhance driver efficiency, as well as most recently the launch of Scania maintenance with flexible plans.
“Over the past eight years, we have seen the heavy-duty truck market move towards a higher level of focus on whole-of-life costs and total operating economy, with greater recognition of optimised vehicle uptime and the role drivers’ play, in enhancing vehicle operators’ profitability,” McCarthy says.
“We have embraced the world of vehicle optimisation and driver data as a means of offering customers the potential to improve their bottom lines, and through the over-arching Scania Total Transport Solution product portfolio, we have transitioned the brand from being purely the supplier of premium quality vehicle hardware to being a complete transport solutions provider, a genuine partner with our customers.”