People Moves: Karl Bernqvist, CPO at TRATON

TRATON GROUP has a new Chief Purchasing Officer in the form of Karl Bernqvist, who has also become member of the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus responsible for procurement.

He replaces Murat Aksel, who, by mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board of MAN Truck & Bus and the Board of Management of TRATON, stepped down from his role at the end of October. 

Christian Levin, CEO of TRATON and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at MAN Truck & Bus, comments: "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.”  

A welcome return

This appointment represents a homecoming of sorts for Karl.

Since 2020, he has served on the Brand Board at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWN) in Hanover, leading the procurement division.

Prior to that, he spent three years as Managing Director of Global Truck & Bus Procurement in the US, a joint venture between TRATON and Navistar that is now known as International Motors and operates under the TRATON GROUP umbrella.

Alexander Vlaskamp, Chairman of the Executive Board at MAN Truck & Bus, adds: “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 by establishing competitive and resilient supply chains. I wish Murat Aksel all the best and every success for his future career.”  

Karl's early career saw him lead the 'New Projects' purchasing department at MAN Truck & Bus in Munich, Germany. He also held various procurement roles at Scania CV AB, including in Södertälje, Sweden and São Paulo, Brazil.

Karl's career began back in 2001 as a management trainee at Scania.