Buttler named head of Daimler Trucks autonomy group

Daimler Truck AG has appointed Joanna Buttler as head of its Global Autonomous Technology Group, effective immediately. She succeeds Peter Vaughan Schmidt, who recently transitioned to the role of CEO of Daimler Truck’s independent subsidiary, Torc Robotics.

Joanna Buttler

In her new role, she leads the company’s global autonomous technology strategy, including vehicle programs, global rollout and partnerships. The goal is to bring autonomous trucks (SAE Level 4) into series production in the U.S. within this decade.

Buttler joined Daimler 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 first-ever redundant vehicle platform.

“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, 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 is based in Portland and reports to O’Leary.