The sudden and unexpected announcement of Klaus Zellmer’s move from Skoda to Volvo is one of those appointments that makes perfect sense. I’ve met most of the great and the good of the car industry over the years, from Ferdinand Piech to Elon Musk. Many have been inspiring; a fair few have left me wondering how on earth they got their big gig. The good ones build teams that produce great, customer-focused cars. The companies of, how shall we say, less good leaders seem to be always playing catch-up.
Zellmer is firmly in the first camp. He’s my favourite car boss to interview: warm, engaging, honest, intelligent and empathetic. That last quality doesn’t always feature prominently in discussions about running a car company, but understanding people is a pretty useful starting point when you’re employing thousands of them and trying to persuade millions more to buy your products.
