Daimler Announces Senior Management Changes

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced that David Carson, currently president of Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC), has been appointed president of Western Star Trucks and chief diversity officer of DTNA.

Carson succeeds Kelley Platt, who was been promoted within the Daimler AG global organization to president and chief executive officer of Daimler’s truck joint venture, Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co. Ltd. in China.

Carson will become a member of the company’s Operating Committee, in addition to leading the Western Star team’s strategic direction for commitment to diversify and inclusion. He was appointed to his role of president of FCCC in 2015, where he oversaw engineering, operations and sales and marketing for DTNA’s chassis business.

Previously, Carson served in a variety of leadership roles, most recently as the company’s general manager of human resource matters, including negotiations with labor unions. Prior to joining DTNA in 2001, Carson was the lead in operations for an industry-leading automotive supplier and a global technology company.

Western Star set sales and markets share records under Platt, the company said. From 2010 to 2015, Platt served as the president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses in High Point, N.C. She started her care at Daimler in 1989 as a manager in the treasury department and founded the Business Excellence Group in 2006.

Daimler also announced that as part of its focus on strengthening the focus of its truck organization in the Chinese market, that Sven Ennerst will take over responsibility for the company’s trucks operations in China, including both local production at the Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive as well as the import business at Daimler Trucks and Buses China. He will also continue as head of product engineering and global procurement.

He has more than 20 years of experience at Daimler Trucks in a number of management positions.