Daimler appoints Joanna Buttler as head of its AV group

Daimler Truck AG has appointed Joanna Buttler as head of its global autonomous technology group, effective immediately. In her new role, she leads the company’s global autonomous technology strategy, including vehicle programs, global rollout, and partnerships.

Buttler will oversee all aspects of Daimler Truck’s strategic partnerships with Waymo and Daimler Truck’s independent subsidiary, Torc Robotics, including business development and commercial agreements. She will lead all further autonomous product expansion plans in close cooperation with respective Daimler Truck regions to align all autonomous activities, including but not limited to: engineering, product strategy, procurement, and mergers and acquisitions.

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“Joanna’s record of leading new product projects, business acumen, and extensive international experience make her well-suited to drive the autonomous technology transformation for not only Daimler Truck, but the industry as a whole,” said John O’Leary, president and CEO of Daimler Truck North America (DTNA). “She is a leader who excels in forming strong and collaborative relationships with internal and external partners and applies a customer-focused and collaborative approach to deliver mutual success.”

Buttler has had an extensive career at Daimler. She joined the company in 2006 as a project manager within the company’s powertrain group. From there, she held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in marketing, product lifecycle, project management, controlling, and as chief of staff for Daimler Trucks & Buses. In 2019, she joined the autonomous technology group as director of business operations and liaison to Torc Robotics. In this role, she led all business aspects of the post-transaction integration. In 2021, she took on her current position as program director for the autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia at DTNA, collaborating closely with Waymo to develop the redundant vehicle platform.

Buttler is based in Portland and reports to O’Leary at DTNA. She succeeds Peter Vaughan Schmidt, who recently transitioned to the role of CEO of Daimler Truck’s independent subsidiary, Torc Robotics. Buttler earned a bachelor’s in business administration and communication from the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Germany.