Germany – Daimler Truck AG of Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Baden-Württemberg has appointed Franziska Cusumano as head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks and Custom-Tailored Trucks as of December 1st, 2022, taking over from Ralf Forcher who is set to retire at the end of the year. Her responsibilities will include being in charge of the production, sales and further development of the Unimog, Econic and Zetros models as well as their production plants in Wörth, Germany and Molsheim, France.

She gained a master’s degree in science from Columbia University, New York, specialising in transportation and future mobility. After joining Daimler in 2008, she has held various positions including research and development at the Hybrid Centre in Japan, product and platform management for engines and axles at Mercedes-Benz and finally in 2018 became executive assistant to the Chairman of Daimler Truck in an apprenticeship role, essentially running the corporate office and responsible for the board of management and the supervisory board.