Mr. Karl Freeman

Karl Freeman currently serves as a Vehicle Range Director within Group Trucks Technology (GTT), the R&D division of Volvo Group. In this leadership role, Karl leverages his progressive product development experience in prioritizing and delivering a portfolio of product projects for both Mack and Volvo Trucks in North America.  Additionally, Karl leads the North American GTT University Relations team, building partnerships with academia for talent, research, and knowledge sharing.

With a career spanning more than three decades, Karl has focused on achieving business success through a pragmatic and collaborative approach that leverages relationships, respect, trust and accountability (as well as applied common sense). After joining Volvo GTT in 2000, Karl spent eleven years leading the brake and suspension systems engineering teams – bringing to market safety technologies such as Air Disc Brakes and Electronic Stability Control.  Karl later moved to project management as a Chief Project Manager to lead the initial Vehicle GHG certification.  He then returned to leading people as Head of the Project Office in Greensboro.

A North Carolina native, Karl holds a BSME degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.  Karl also holds an active PMP certification from the Project Management Institute. Away from the office, Karl enjoys mountain biking, traveling, spending time with family, and playing bass guitar.

Currently:   Range Director, Volvo Group North America, Group Trucks Technology, Greensboro, NC

Formerly:  (1) Project Office Manager, VGNA GTT (2) Chief Project Manager, VGNA GTT (3) Vehicle Dynamics Section Manager, VGNA GTT (4) Powertrain Product Development Manager, Sachs Automotive, Troy, Michigan (5) Product and Manufacturing Engineer, Delco Products div. of GM, Kettering, Ohio

Education: (1) 1989 – B.S., Mechanical Engineering, NC State University