We are very fortunate for the hospitality from the University of Gothenburg; today they gave us another wonderful opportunity by allowing us to attend final presentations by graduate students on proposals for Volvo Car's expansion in Asia. But we weren't the only people in attendance; Hans-Olov Olsson, the Vice Chairman and former CEO of Volvo cars was there to evaluate the presentations.
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| Hans-Olov Olsson |
Three groups presented in the style of a consulting group, and all had similar plans. Like almost every other international corporation, they focused mostly on China's emerging consumer market; they recognize it as a potential goldmine, especially with Volvo's new Chinese ownership. While they disagree on the proposed locations, all three groups planned for 2-3 new factories across eastern China. They also discussed product modifications specifically for the Chinese culture and market, marketing campaigns, and how to protect Volvo's brand image as a premium Scandinavian company. Hans-Olov Olsson gave accolades to all the students, and then gave lots of excellent feedback and insight from his vast experience. While fairly small in stature, he had a commanding presence, and also displayed warmth and appreciation for the student's work. It was a great experience just to hear the students present, however Olsson made this more than memorable.
Afterwards, the University of Gothenburg's Student Union treated us to delicious, traditional Swedish pastries coffee at an upscale cafe. The pastries were like a warm donut filled with creme and almond paste, and topped off with powder sugar even though they weren't overpoweringly sweet. The coffee was excellent as well; usually, I have to force down the bitter and strong Swedish coffee, but this was smooth and rich while remaining up to Swedish strength. We had great conversations with the Swedish students about Swedish and European culture, and were also able to share information about ours.
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