History made as woman appointed Daimler Truck president
Daimler Truck Southern Africa’s (DTSA) sales and marketing vice-president Maretha Gerber is poised to make her mark in the historically maledominated space as the leading trucking player’s first woman president and group chief executive.
An expert with more than 23 years’ experience in the automotive sector, Gerber takes over from Michael Dietz on April 1.
The announcement was made in Johannesburg on Friday.
Dietz has held the position since January 2020 and is set to take charge of Daimler Commercial Vehicles Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the UAE one of the business’s six global regional centres overseeing 67 general distributor-run markets.
Gerber, who possesses crucial commercial vehicle experience following her previous appointment as head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Southern Africa in September 2018, confidently pronounced her preparedness to tackle the challenge.
“I was afforded the opportunity in [trucking] about five years ago.
“Though I originally didn’t plan that career move, I think it was the best thing to happen,” she said of the pivot as DTSA, through its bustling manufacturing and assembly operation in Gately, continued to maintain a colossal stake in East London’s industrial development zone (IDZ).
“Every time you deliver a truck, you’re not just delivering metal.
“You’re contributing to the economy and the community, which is my passion.
“And part of the reason I took the challenge then was I wanted to see if I could [transition] my skills in sales and marketing [from passenger vehicles] to commercial vehicles.
“Luckily, with a fantastic team behind me, and the knowledge of the product and company, it all came together nicely.”
With a combination of retail experience within sales and marketing in various roles and strong leadership acumen, the climb to the pinnacle of the corporate ladder was a nobrainer.
“I’ve always had ambition to grow,” said Gerber, the only other woman on the Daimler Truck Overseas ExCom team.
“It was my vision to one day be afforded this opportunity in the long term.
“But I think it came far quicker than expected because Michael wasn’t supposed to leave in March, only towards the end of the year.
“However, he was afforded a fantastic opportunity to take over probably the biggest regional centre outside Europe.
“This then came onto my radar, and I’m keen to take on the challenge.”
She said she was not preemptive about the reaction to her appointment, in which she will be responsible for a portfolio of nine Southern African markets — SA, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia — after publicly listed DTSA unveiled new corporate headquarters in Centurion nine months ago.
“I think lots of people will be surprised, and many others encouraged by it.
“It’s good to have a mix of views and reactions because, in simple terms, friction creates fireworks.
“It’s set to challenge me to perform and give the proof ... while ensuring I excel in doing the job expected of me,” she said.
On the Eastern Cape front,
Gerber said the province would remain a key focus for the business after marking 60 years of commercial trading in
SA during its diamond anniversary celebrations in October 2022.
The 50,000m² East London facility, manufacturing light, medium and heavy-duty trucks, employs more than 300 workers.
“We actively try to link to the Eastern Cape and invest in the province when talking about our business as a whole.
“East London, where we have a world-class assembly plant delivering premiumquality goods into the market, has contributed to the success of Mercedes-Benz and FUSO in SA and the Daimler organisation as a whole.”
Gerber said cranking up operations to include a Nelson Mandela Bay footprint could not be overlooked.
“The province is renowned for being an automotive hub.
“If a business need ever required us to expand into other territories like Gqeberha — which, crucially, has a harbour, among other things — nothing prevents us.
“We also have strong ties with our dealers in Gqeberha — Maritime Motors, as a service hub, and Ronnies Motors, boasting two dealerships.”
She said further investment discussions were taking place to increase DTSA’s dealer network in the Eastern Cape.
Dietz said Gerber’s appointment as his successor was an unprecedented development.
“It has been emotional for us both,” he said.
“I’m quite excited about taking over the MENA region in my new role.
“It will be an interesting and challenging experience.
“On the other hand, Maretha, part of my ExCom team for [about] five years, is highly experienced.
“She is a professional leader with a deep understanding of services and products who knows our customer base and their requirements. When we had the discussions with our global management board, she was the perfect match.”
Daimler Truck Overseas head Andreas von Wallfeld said: “With her vast experience and excellent client rapport, we cannot think of anyone better for this position.
“Likewise, with his extensive knowledge and broad experience, we’re pleased to have won Michael for the Regional Centre Middle East and Africa.
“We wish Maretha and Michael all the best in their new roles.”