The fuel cell joint venture Cellcentric has undergone a change in its management. Lars Ljungström has been the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Managing Director of the company since August 2026. Cellcentric is a joint venture equally owned by Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, developing fuel cell systems for heavy-duty vehicles.
Ljungström succeeds Niklas Ekström, who is leaving Cellcentric at the end of July 2026 and returning to Sweden. According to the company, Ekström will take on the position of CFO in the Manufacturing Intelligence division of the Hexagon Group there. He had been jointly responsible for the finance department of Cellcentric since the establishment of the joint venture about five years ago.
Many years of experience in the Volvo Group
Ljungström brings experience from various leadership positions in Sweden and the USA. Most recently, he worked as Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Volvo Penta North America. Over the past 20 years, he has held various positions, primarily in business areas of the Volvo Group. These include financial leadership positions at Volvo Penta of the Americas, GKN Aerospace, Volvo Group Trucks Operations of the Americas, and Volvo Aero Connecticut.
"I am very pleased to contribute to the further development of Cellcentric and Cellcentric's fuel cell technology and to actively shape its ongoing industrialization," says Ljungström. At Cellcentric, work is being done daily on the future of fuel cell-electric powertrains. He wants to contribute to the decarbonization of heavy long-haul transport and other heavy-duty applications.
Focus on heavy-duty fuel cell system BZA375
According to its own assessment, the company, together with its partners Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, is well positioned to contribute to the transformation in the heavy-duty sector. "Our new heavy-duty fuel cell system BZA375 is impressive proof of this," says Ljungström.
Nicholas Loughlan, Chief Technology Officer, Managing Director, and spokesperson for the Cellcentric management, welcomed the change. "Lars has many years of experience in various leadership positions in the areas of strategy and finance, both in Sweden and the USA," says Loughlan. Ljungström will form the management of Cellcentric together with him and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kai Wörner in the future.
Cellcentric positions itself as an independent Tier-1 supplier for fuel cell technology in the heavy-duty segment. The company consolidates the activities of Daimler Truck and Volvo Group in this technology field and particularly targets applications in heavy long-haul transport.
