(CHESAPEAKE, Va.) — Volvo Penta of the Americas has appointed Yichen Gu to vice president of parts and accessories, and had promoted Marcelo Puscar to vice president of marketing. The changes will strengthen Volvo Penta’s growing presence in the marine and industrial industries across Canada, U.S., Central and South America.
Gu will assume the position of vice president of parts and accessories on March 1, 2020 and will be responsible for the planning and direction of parts and accessory sales for North America. Currently, Gu serves as the head of Volvo Penta’s dealer business management in Europe. In this role, he oversees the overall dealer business strategy in the region, including part sales, service and engine sales in collaboration with the company’s robust European dealer network and has demonstrated a strong track record of growth. Over the course of his 18 years with Volvo Group, Gu has held a variety of management roles including aftermarket director for Volvo Penta’s business unit in China and aftermarket segment head in Asia. He replaces David Kennedy, who will retire after 25 years with Volvo Penta of the Americas.
Puscar was promoted to vice president of marketing after serving five years as marketing director for the region. He will continue to spearhead marketing in the region, while also expanding areas of responsibility to include creation and dissemination of digital content for the Volvo Penta brand globally. Under Puscar’s leadership, the Volvo Penta brand has strengthened significantly as a result of forward-thinking initiatives in the areas of digital, SEO, social media, video, training, exhibitions, communications and more. The efforts of the Volvo Penta marketing team have resulted in more than 20 marketing-specific awards.
“The addition of Yichen Gu and promotion of Marcelo Puscar will further strengthen the talented, diverse leadership team we have here at Volvo Penta,” said Ron Huibers, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas. “They each bring unique, global perspectives that span decades of rich experience across the entire Volvo Penta ecosystem, from partners to end users.”
