Mercedes-Benz Trucks
Marcus Ekman to lead Mercedes-Benz Trucks Engineering
Marcus Ekman, currently Senior Vice President Truck Quality at Volvo Group, will take the reins as Head of Engineering at Mercedes-Benz Trucks from October
Mercedes-Benz Trucks is changing the leadership in its engineering division, with the appointment of Marcus Ekman as the brand's new Head of Engineering. The 51-year-old Swede joins from Volvo Group and will assume the role on October 1, 2026, replacing the retiring Rainer Müller-Finkeldei.
The move represents a cross-industry hire, drawing talent directly from one of Mercedes-Benz Trucks' competitors in the global commercial vehicle market. Ekman brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience spanning engineering, product development, and quality management — much of it accumulated operating within the Scandinavian truck industry.
At Volvo Group, Ekman has served in a succession of high-profile roles, most recently as Senior Vice President Truck Quality. Prior to that, he held responsibility for complete vehicle development and global product development at the same company. Before joining Volvo, he accumulated further engineering leadership experience at Scania.
Through this experience Ekman has overseen end-to-end vehicle development, validation, modularisation, quality management, and industrialisation across global engineering operations. He holds an MBA from Stockholm School of Economics and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Achim Puchert, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, made clear the strategic importance of the hire. "We are excited to welcome Marcus Ekman to Mercedes-Benz Trucks," Puchert said. "His leadership in transformation and ability to connect technology, product strategy, and execution will be essential to Daimler Truck's journey towards becoming the best truck and bus company in the world."
Ekman's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the brand. Daimler Truck is navigating an industry-wide transformation towards carbon-neutral transport, accelerating digitalisation, and growing demand for connected vehicle systems.
The man he replaces leaves an impressive legacy. Rainer Müller-Finkeldei joined Daimler in 1995 and spent more than three decades helping to shape the company's engineering trajectory. He moved into the truck division in 2004, rose to Director of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Mechatronics in 2010, and later served as Senior Vice President Product Engineering and Technology at Daimler Truck North America before taking on his most recent role as Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Product Engineering in 2023. He will retire at the end of July 2026.
Puchert paid warm tribute to the outgoing executive. "He has been instrumental in driving transformation towards carbon-neutral transport, digitalisation, and greater vehicle and system connectivity across the globe," he said. "For his future, I wish Rainer all the best."
