The Board of UD Trucks Southern Africa (UDTSA) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jacques Carelse as the new MD of the company.

His appointment became effective on July 1.

Japan’s UD Trucks Corporation, of which UDTSA was a full subsidiary, formed part of the world’s second-largest trucking company, the Volvo Group.

Torbjörn Christensson, the company’s president for the Southern Africa region, said Carelse had a history with UD Trucks reaching back to 2001 and, therefore, had an in-depth knowledge of the company and the intricacies of the local trucking market.

“We firmly support Carelse’s vision of maintaining and developing UDTSA’s position as one of the leading trucking companies in the region,” said Christensson.

“UDTSA remains the brand’s top market outside of Japan. With the new generation Quon recently launched, and more model introductions planned over the medium and long term, we are very excited about the future growth and impact of the UD Trucks brand.”

Christensson also acknowledged the contribution made by outgoing CEO Johan Richards, who had been with the company for 30 years.

“Richards played a significant role in the success of UDTSA, especially since the company became a separate entity in 2002, and led the team through many highlights and achievements over the years.”

Carelse studied at the University of Pretoria, and is a qualified chartered accountant.

He has had a long involvement in the automotive industry, firstly with Nissan South Africa, where he spent time as national business developer to enhance and improve the company’s dealer network.

Carelse also took responsibility for the financial function of Nissan’s sub-Saharan light commercial vehicle export market.

He joined Nissan Diesel South Africa (now UDTSA) in 2001 and played an instrumental role in the formation of the separate legal entity in 2002, when the company became a dedicated truck business.

Carelse was appointed as the company’s CFO in June 2008.

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