DAF appoints Jim Walenczak as new president

DAF Trucks has appointed Jim Walenczak as president of DAF Trucks, with the experienced PACCAR executive set to take up the role on 1 July 2026.

Walenczak succeeds Harald Seidel, who will retire on 17 July after 25 years with PACCAR and four years as DAF president.

Walenczak has spent the past 15 years with PACCAR in a number of senior operational and commercial roles. Most recently, he served as vice president and general manager of Kenworth Truck Company.

His previous positions within the business have included assistant general manager – operations at PACCAR Parts and assistant general manager of sales and marketing at Kenworth.

Walenczak holds a marketing degree from Michigan State University, an MBA from the University of Washington and also completed the Stanford Executive Program.

Seidel joined PACCAR in 2001 and held a series of senior finance and management positions during his career, including PACCAR Parts Europe controller, controller marketing and sales, group controller and DAF finance director. He became PACCAR vice president and DAF president in 2022.

Commenting on Seidel’s retirement, Preston Feight, chief executive of PACCAR, said: “We sincerely thank Harald for his friendship, leadership, and significant contributions to the success of PACCAR and its customers.”