Lars Ljungström named cellcentric Managing Director and CFO
Fuel cell JV cellcentric taps Volvo Group veteran Lars Ljungström as its new CFO and Managing Director, effective August 2026.
- 50:50
- 20 years
- nearly 5 years
- more than 560
What Happened
cellcentric, the 50:50 fuel cell joint venture of Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, announces a change in its management board: Lars Ljungström will become Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director in August 2026. He succeeds Niklas Ekström, who leaves the company at the end of July 2026 and returns to Sweden to become CFO for the Manufacturing Intelligence division within the Hexagon Group. Ljungström most recently served as Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Volvo Penta North America and has held leadership roles in Sweden and the United States over the past 20 years.
cellcentric founded as a joint venture of Daimler Truck and Volvo Group.
Niklas Ekström leaves cellcentric and returns to Sweden.
Lars Ljungström starts as CFO and Managing Director.
“I am delighted to contribute to the further advancement of cellcentric and its fuel cell technology and to play an active role in shaping the continued industrialization journey.”
- CFO at Volvo Penta of the Americas
- CFO at GKN Aerospace
- CFO at Volvo Group Trucks Operations of the Americas
- CFO at Volvo Aero Connecticut LLC
- Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Volvo Penta North America
Nicholas Loughlan, Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director as well as Spokesperson of the cellcentric Management Board, welcomed Ljungström, saying he brings a strong entrepreneurial mindset. He also thanked Ekström for his valuable contribution over nearly 5 years in establishing cellcentric as an independent tier-1 supplier for heavy-duty fuel cell technology. The management board now consists of Ljungström, Loughlan, and Chief Operating Officer Kai Wörner.
Previously from cellcentric
cellcentric is in the middle of an ownership transition: Toyota has signed a binding agreement to become an equal one-third shareholder, following a non-binding MoU in March 2026. The company also recently unveiled its BZA375 fuel cell system, which delivers 375 kW continuous power and 20% lower fuel consumption, targeting heavy-duty trucks, coaches, rail, and mining.
- Toyota to join Daimler Truck and Volvo as equal shareholder in fuel cell JV cellcentric
- cellcentric Unveils BZA375 Fuel Cell System with 20% Lower Fuel Consumption for Heavy-Duty Trucks
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of cellcentric's official releases.
Why this matters
The appointment brings a finance and strategy executive with 20 years of leadership experience at Volvo Group and other heavy-duty businesses into cellcentric's top management as the company pushes its fuel cell industrialization forward. It follows outgoing CFO Niklas Ekström's departure at the end of July 2026, and comes as cellcentric highlights its new BZA375 heavy-duty fuel cell system. The change affects the management board that leads the 50:50 Dai…
Terms in This Story
- Fuel cell
- A device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, producing water and heat as byproducts.
- CFO
- Chief Financial Officer, the executive responsible for a company's financial management.
- Joint venture
- A business entity formed by two or more parties that share ownership and control.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.