Scania UK Sales Director Vincente Connolly has been named Managing Director of the Swedish OEM’s East Africa business unit. That will see him spearhead operations in Kenya and Tanzania and support activities in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda.
Mr Connolly has spent four years as Sales Director for Scania in the UK, during which time he played a major part in the launch of the used vehicle programme Scania Go. He was also involved in the global debut of the Scania Fencer bus range.
More widely, he has led the Scania UK truck sales team to achieve the highest order intake and market share ever recorded, while also helping to deliver record profitability.
Scania East Africa says that Mr Connolly’s “significant commercial and leadership experience from both within and outside Scania will help to drive the growth of the company in the region by delivering transport solutions that meet the needs of customers.”
Mr Connolly’s automotive career began in 1993 as a technician working on Mercedes-Benz cars. He then spent 20 years with the Daimler organisation in the UK until leaving in 2017, having risen to the role of as Director National Sales for the Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi Truck division. His later career included time working with DAF and Ford before joining Scania.
While Scania UK currently looks towards zero-emission solutions, in East Africa its business is engaged in “the conversation regarding alternative fuels and the shift to Euro IV technology,” it notes.
Mr Connolly takes up the role of Scania East Africa MD from Lars Eklund, who has held the position since October 2020. No announcement has yet been made about his successor with Scania UK.
