Saab has appointed Eva Karlsson as senior vice president and chief operating officer, effective Aug. 1. A new member of the company’s Group Management team, Karlsson will now lead Saab’s Group Operational Excellence organization. She joins Saab from Dometic, where she served as president of Segment Land Vehicles for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior roles also included operational and leadership positions at Assa Abloy and ABB.
Consequently, business area growth and reduced function in other units will see Christian Hedelin, currently senior vice president and chief strategy officer, and Charlotta Björklund, currently senior vice president of operational excellence, leave Group Management on March 1. Björklund will now report to Karlsson and Hedelin to Deputy CEO Anders Carp.
Saab President and CEO Micael Johansson said the changes reflect the company’s transformative phase, adding, “Saab remains a strong growth company and with these changes we will be in even better shape to continue that journey.”
The developments follow Jonas Hjelm’s recent departure from Group Management as SVP and head of government affairs. Hjelm, who will transition to a senior advisory role, is temporarily replaced by Per de la Gardie, who concurrently serves as head of government affairs in Sweden.
Saab is set to release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial results on Feb. 7.