Javier Iriarte has been the new CEO of Solaris since the turn of the year. Iriarte takes over the CEO position at Solaris from Javier Calleja, who decided to leave Solaris for personal reasons.
Iriarte already knows the Polish company very well: he has been deputy chairman of the Solaris supervisory board since 2018. In this role, he was responsible for the strategic development and transformation of the bus manufacturer and accompanied the change towards electric drives. Now he will take on an operational role.
Iriarte gained additional experience in the public transport sector at Solaris’ parent company CAF, where he was Director of Strategy and Transformation of CAF Rolling Stock since 2020. Prior to that, he worked at management consultancy McKinsey.
“The company is turning over a new leaf. In recent years, we have made a tremendous transformation towards becoming the market leader in e-mobility for urban transport in Europe,” the new CEO said, according to the Solaris release. “I am firmly convinced that together with our teams we will successfully continue the growth trajectory of our company and keep Solaris and the CAF Group where it belongs as a reference in the sustainable urban transport industry.”
It is not yet known exactly where his predecessor Calleja will be heading – Solaris says he will “continue his career in another industry”. Calleja had “successfully completed Solaris’ first strategic cycle as part of the CAF Group”, the company said.
“It was a fantastic time for me to be here as a CEO of a great company Solaris and lead our fantastic teams, which are one of the greatest assets of this organisation,” Calleja said. ” I am sure Solaris, led by Javier Iriarte and as part of the CAF Group, will continue its further dynamic development and growth in the mobility industry. A bright future is ahead of the company.”
Keyword: Change in management at Solaris