Karl Bernqvist has been appointed as the new Chief Purchasing Officer at TRATON and will also join the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE, where he will be responsible for procurement. He is set to take over from Murat Aksel, who will leave his position on October 31, 2025, following a mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE and the Board of Management of TRATON SE due to differing views on the company's future strategic direction.
Christian Levin, CEO of TRATON GROUP and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Karl Bernqvist, a proven expert in the commercial vehicle business and the various entities of the TRATON GROUP, to our Truck Board. With his experience in different brands, regions and cultures, he will make an important contribution to TRATON’s transformation and help to further expand our group-wide supply chains. I would also like to thank Murat Aksel, who has been instrumental to the turnaround of MAN Truck & Bus and the transformation of the TRATON GROUP. We wish him all the best for the future.”
Alexander Vlaskamp, Chairman of the Executive Board at MAN Truck & Bus SE, added: “We welcome back Karl Bernqvist at MAN who brings many years of experience in procurement – within Volkswagen, TRATON and several other brands within our group. We will benefit from this broad foundation in the challenging times of strained supply chains. At the same time, I am grateful for Murat’s collaboration during the past years. He joined MAN Truck & Bus in difficult times and has made a significant contribution to MAN’s improved financial performance with establishing competitive and resilient supply chains. I wish Murat Aksel all the best and every success for his future career.”
Bernqvist's appointment marks a return to familiar territory; since 2020 he has overseen procurement as part of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' Brand Board in Hanover. Before that role, he was Managing Director at Global Truck & Bus Procurement in the United States—a joint venture between TRATON and Navistar (now International Motors), which is currently part of TRATON GROUP. His earlier roles include leading Purchasing “New Projects” at MAN Truck & Bus in Munich as well as holding purchasing positions at Scania CV AB in Sweden and Brazil. Bernqvist began his professional journey at Scania as a management trainee in 2001.