Volvo Cars appoints Olivia Ross-Wilson as head of communications
Volvo Cars has appointed Olivia Ross-Wilson as head of communications, effective December 2021. She joins Volvo Cars from Ingka Group, the biggest of the twelve franchisees that operate IKEA stores, where she has led communications since 2016.
With more than 20 years of experience working with communication and positioning for consumer-facing brands, Olivia Ross-Wilson brings an important perspective as a member of Volvo Cars executive management.
“I am very pleased to welcome Olivia to Volvo Cars,” said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars. “I am confident that her expertise will be a valuable addition to the team as Volvo Cars transforms into a fully electric company with millions of direct consumer relationships.”
In her current role at Ingka Group, Olivia Ross-Wilson is a member of the executive leadership team and leads communication across 30 countries. Her responsibilities include the strategic long-term positioning of IKEA, as well as areas such as key brand marketing activities, PR, public affairs, internal communication and strategic business communication. Prior to assuming her current position at Ingka Group, she was the head of sustainability communications for IKEA Group between 2011 and 2016.
“I want to give our warmest welcome to Olivia,” said Hanna Fager, head of corporate functions at Volvo Cars. “She is a modern leader with a deep and wide-ranging understanding of strategic communication, bringing valuable experience as we move towards becoming a fully electric car company. To cap it all, she knows the ins and outs of working with a brand that, similarly to Volvo Cars, has a rich Swedish heritage and creates products that are part of people’s everyday life all over the globe.”
Before joining IKEA, Olivia Ross-Wilson worked in various PR and marketing roles in London and New York between 1998 and 2011, including for the retailer Marks & Spencer and for brands such as Starbucks, Delta Airlines and Carlsberg through agencies. During this time she also worked for the Clinton Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies in the US and founded her own communication consulting company, advising clients such as Coca-Cola and Mulberry.
“As a long-term fan and customer of Volvo Cars, I am very excited to be joining the company,” said Olivia Ross-Wilson. “The world needs brands and companies like Volvo Cars to thrive for the future, so I look forward to contributing to the inspiring journey they are on and to the success of its electrification strategy.”
Source: https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/285786/volvo-cars-appoints-olivia-ross-wilson-as-head-of-communications