Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. (VTNA) announces the appointment of Michel Gigou as president and chief executive officer, effective this month. Gigou will leave Mack Trucks, Inc. where he served as president and CEO since 1996. Through his leadership, Mack achieved four consecutive years of market share growth in North America and record profitability in recent years, company officials note.

Gigou has held management positions in sales and aftermarket for Mack parent company, Renault, in France, Sweden, and the U.K.

Replacing Gigou will be Mack veteran Paul Vikner, who held management positions in the company's international division until 1979. He returned in 1995 as senior vice president of sales, and was named executive vice president of sales and marketing the following year.

Both Mack and VTNA are part of Volvo Global Trucks, one of the world's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks and related components. “We will have two very competent, highly motivated people with broad experience of the American truck industry to take charge of our demanding operations in North America, to the benefit of our dealers and customers,” notes Tryggve Sthen, president of Volvo Global Trucks.