Jim Rowan

Jim Rowan
Nationality	British
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Board member, Lotus Cars
Known for	CEO of Volvo Cars (2022–2025)

Jim Rowan is a British business executive who served as the Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Cars from 2022 to 2025. A technology industry veteran whose career spanned several decades in consumer electronics and robotics before entering the automotive sector, Rowan was appointed to lead Volvo Cars during a period of significant transition as the Swedish automaker pursued an ambitious shift toward electrification. His tenure at Volvo was marked by efforts to accelerate the company's electric vehicle strategy and by public advocacy on European Union emissions policy. In March 2025, Volvo's board of directors announced that Rowan would step down, with former CEO Håkan Samuelsson returning to the role on a two-year term beginning April 1, 2025. Following his departure from Volvo, Rowan joined the board of directors of Lotus Cars, a sports car manufacturer also owned by Geely Holding Group, Volvo's parent company.

Career

Pre-Automotive Career

Before entering the automotive industry, Jim Rowan built a career in the technology and consumer electronics sectors. His background was notably distinct from the traditional automotive executive pipeline, a contrast that was remarked upon by industry observers when he was appointed to lead Volvo Cars. Rowan's career prior to Volvo included leadership positions in technology-focused companies, and he was regarded as a figure whose expertise lay in technology transformation and digital strategy rather than in conventional automotive manufacturing and engineering.

CEO of Volvo Cars (2022–2025)

Jim Rowan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Cars in 2022, succeeding Håkan Samuelsson, who had led the company for a decade from 2012 to 2022. His appointment came at a pivotal juncture for the automaker, which under Samuelsson had committed to becoming a fully electric car company and had been steered to record sales and profits. Rowan was tasked with continuing and accelerating the electrification strategy that his predecessor had initiated.

During his approximately three years at the helm, Rowan oversaw Volvo Cars' continued transition toward battery electric vehicles. The company launched new electric models and worked to expand its EV lineup as part of its stated goal to sell only fully electric cars by the end of the decade. Rowan's leadership also coincided with broader industry challenges, including shifting consumer demand patterns for electric vehicles, supply chain disruptions, and evolving regulatory frameworks in key markets.

Stance on EU Emissions Policy

In early 2025, Rowan drew attention for his public criticism of the European Union's decision to delay enforcement of tougher CO2 emissions standards. In March 2025, Rowan argued that the EU's decision to grant automakers additional time to meet stricter CO2 targets undermined trust between regulators and the automotive industry. His comments were notable because Volvo, having invested heavily in electrification, was positioned to meet the stricter targets, while some rival automakers faced potential fines for non-compliance. Rowan contended that the delay placed companies that had committed early to the electric transition at a competitive disadvantage relative to those that had been slower to adapt.

Departure from Volvo

On March 30, 2025, Volvo Cars announced that its board of directors had voted to replace Rowan as CEO. The company stated that Håkan Samuelsson would return to the chief executive role on a two-year term beginning April 1, 2025. Rowan stepped down effective March 31, 2025.

The leadership change was described as a surprise by automotive industry media. Automotive News noted that the decision reflected Volvo's desire to return to "car industry basics," contrasting Rowan's technology-oriented background with Samuelsson's deep roots in the automotive sector. Samuelsson, during his prior tenure from 2012 to 2022, had been credited with revitalizing the Volvo brand, building a strong product lineup, and overseeing the company's record financial performance.

The InsideEVs report noted that Volvo's board voted to replace Rowan after three years at the helm of the company. Car and Driver reported that Rowan would step down and leave Volvo's leadership entirely, rather than transition to another role within the organization.

Post-Volvo: Lotus Board and Geely

Following his departure from Volvo Cars, Rowan remained within the broader Geely Holding Group ecosystem. In July 2025, Automotive News reported that Rowan had joined the board of directors of Lotus Cars, the British sports car manufacturer that is majority-owned by Geely. The appointment was part of a broader pattern in which Geely found new roles within its portfolio of automotive brands for senior executives who had departed leadership positions at its subsidiaries. CarBuzz reported that Geely had placed both Rowan and Thomas Ingenlath, the former CEO of Polestar, in new roles within the group, with Ingenlath taking on a position as a design adviser to Geely Group.

Legacy

Jim Rowan's tenure at Volvo Cars represented a period in which the automaker grappled with the practical and strategic complexities of its transition to a fully electric vehicle manufacturer. His appointment as a technology-sector executive to lead a traditional automaker reflected a broader trend in the automotive industry during the early 2020s, in which carmakers increasingly sought leaders with backgrounds in software, technology, and digital transformation as they repositioned themselves for an electrified and increasingly software-defined future.

The decision by Volvo's board to replace Rowan with the returning Samuelsson was interpreted by industry analysts as a course correction, signaling that the company sought a leader with more direct automotive industry experience to navigate what had become a more complex and uncertain transition period for electric vehicles. Rowan's public advocacy regarding EU emissions regulation highlighted the competitive tensions created by uneven regulatory enforcement during the industry's electrification shift, and his arguments underscored the challenges facing automakers that had made early and significant investments in electric vehicle technology.

His subsequent appointment to the Lotus board indicated that Geely continued to value his expertise and sought to retain his involvement within its global automotive portfolio.