Anthony Helsham was named President and CEO of Volvo Construction Equipment as well as member of the Volvo Group Executive Committee in June 2000. He is responsible for the overall development of the company globally, and is based in the Volvo Construction Equipment Headquarters office in Brussels, Belgium.
The appointment of Australian-born Tony Helsham as the first ever non-Swedish member of the Group’s Executive Committee proved to be particularly important for the Volvo Group’s continued globalization.
Prior to this appointment, he was the inaugural President of Volvo Construction Equipment Korea and was responsible for the successful integration of the former Samsung Heavy Industries’ construction equipment business into the Volvo Group, which was acquired by Volvo in 1998. He managed the integration process in a model way, and the operation in Korea has proved to be one of Volvo’s most successful acquisitions.
Mr. Helsham has long international experience in the construction equipment field. As well as his experience in Asia, he has for many years worked in the construction equipment sector in the USA. Starting as a sales administrator with Clark Equipment Company in 1974, he held several positions in that company, working in Australia, Hong Kong and the USA before moving to VME (Volvo Michigan Euclid) in 1985. In 1992, he moved to Euclid-Hitachi Heavy Equipment becoming President & CEO a year later, and staying until his move to Korea in 1998.
Tony Helsham is a graduate of the New South Wales Institute of Technology, Sydney, Australia, where he obtained a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1978.