The first 17 months as DaimlerBoss could hardly have gone worse for Ola Källenius (51). It issued profit warnings, failed product launches and savings plans, and there were no electric cars. In the interview, the Swede announced, in flawless German, a cultural change – and with it the departure from a course that he himself helped shape as a member of the board. We speak face to face in Stuttgart, a few days before Corona imposes new contact restrictions.
manager magazin: Franz Müntefering once said about his long-term job, Mr Källenius, the head of the SPD is the most beautiful office next to that of the Pope. Where would you sort your work at Daimler?
Ola Källenius: I can’t think of anything more exciting. The star is part of me; I’ve spent my entire professional life at Daimler.
Glad you’re still having fun. So far you have mainly announced profit warnings and new savings targets. This is certainly not how you imagined it.
When I took over as CEO in spring 2019, I knew that the start would be difficult. We stopped our pick-up and had to set aside billions for diesel loads; and even without the special charges, our result did not develop well enough.