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Polestar has announced that Håkan Samuelsson intends to retire as Board Chair and the Board of Directors has appointed Winfried Vahland as the new Board Chair, effective following the Company’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Carla De Geyseleer, Audit Committee Chair, has chosen not to stand for re-election as Director, in order to focus on her executive role.
Samuelsson has been a part of Polestar’s journey since the brand was launched as the electric performance car company in 2017, acting as Board Chair during a period of model line-up and market expansion.
“I am extremely proud of what Polestar has achieved in such a short time, as Europe’s only established pure EV company and brand. Polestar combines design, luxury and performance in a way that creates some of the most attractive cars available on the fast-growing EV market,” Samuelsson says.
Carla De Geyseleer says: “I want to thank everyone at Polestar for allowing me to contribute to the early part of this brand’s journey. The achievements to date will only be matched by those in the future, which I will continue to follow with great interest and excitement.”
Winfried Vahland says: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank both Håkan and Carla for their commitment and dedication to Polestar. With his background as CEO of Volvo Cars, Håkan has played a major role in ensuring that Polestar is now in a good position to assert itself in the global automotive market. Carla had an instrumental role in our NASDAQ listing and has been a great support for the company in her role as Audit Committee Chair.”
With an established global presence and strong brand recognition, Polestar is now entering the next phase of its development, expanding its model line-up, consolidating its position as a performance-oriented premium car brand in the electric age.
Winfried Vahland is looking forward to helping shape Polestar’s future development: “The world has been wowed by Polestar 2. With just one car, we have shown what is possible from a brand that puts performance and design at its core. Our product offensive is now unleashing its full power, with Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 on the market and Polestar 5 receiving impressive early reviews. These cars underline that Polestar is and will be one of the winners of the transformation of the automotive industry. I look forward to helping to steer Polestar towards fully realizing its potential.”
Winfried Vahland has a long career in the international automotive industry. Among other leading positions the graduate economist and engineer was CEO and President of Volkswagen Group China from 2005-2010, where he oversaw a turnaround of operations through an extensive model offensive and successful efficiency program. He held the position as CEO of Škoda Auto between 2010-2015, delivering the future-oriented positioning of the brand, a comprehensive model expansion and record results. Prior to joining the Polestar Board in January 2024, he served for five years as a Member of the Board of Volvo Cars.
Subject to approval at the Company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Christine Gorjanc and Xiaojie Shen (Laura) have been proposed as new directors.
Christine Gorjanc has over 35 years of experience in finance and accounting roles and is a highly experienced previous Chief Financial Officer of Netgear and Arlo Technologies. She has served on both public and private company boards including chairing the Audit Committee and serving on the Compensation Committee on these. She is lead director of Juniper Networks. Christine is proposed to Chair the Polestar Board’s Audit Committee.
Xiaojie Shen (Laura) has over 20 years of automotive industry experience. She joined Volkswagen Group (China) in 2007 as Vice President and has held several senior management positions, including as Managing Director of Volkswagen Group (China) Import Company. Previously, she was Head of Sales of BMW Brilliance.
