Northvolt veteran steps down amidst praise from founder Peter Carlsson: 'Forever thankful'

Daniela Maniaci joined Northvolt in its early days, when the Swedish battery manufacturer had fewer than 100 employees. Her first mission was to build the recruitment team, and since 2023, she has served as the company’s chief people & culture officer.

Now, she’s stepping down.

“After seven incredible years at Northvolt, the time has come to turn the page,” Maniaci writes in her farewell post.

“I feel both proud and humbled to have led the people function through one of Europe’s biggest industrial projects in decades—recruiting thousands of talents for our factories and offices, bringing global expertise to Stockholm and northern Sweden,” she adds.

Before joining Northvolt, Manicini worked for the recruitment firm Nigel Wright Group, in Stockholm, and for several recruitment agencies in Asia.

Her departure has sparked an outpouring of praise in the comments, including from Northvolt’s founder and former CEO, Peter Carlsson:

“Daniela! Your contribution has been huge to the Northvolt Journey! Forever thankful!!!”

Doesn’t happen overnight

Maniaci will stay on for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition for her successor and will remain connected to the company as a senior advisor.

She expresses confidence that Northvolt will rise to future challenges and continue making history.

“Changing an industry in Europe doesn’t happen overnight. The past year has brought serious challenges, but I truly believe the work we’ve done has sparked lasting change—strengthening European tech, building a game-changing talent pool and pushing for a cleaner future,” she writes.

Northvolt ran into major financial troubles in 2024, reporting debts of $5.8bn (£4.6bn) in November. It applied for bankruptcy in the US, where it had been hoping to expand, and laid off around a quarter of its workforce.

Maniaci is one of a number of senior leaders who have appeared to voluntarily leave Northvolt amidst its ongoing crisis, including Canadian Mark Duchesne who was CEO of Northvolt’s largest factory in Skellefteå, and the company’s Head of Media Anders Thor.

Last week the company announced Malin Knave would become the company’s new acting Chief People and Growth Officer, as Impact Loop reported. Knave wrote on LinkedIn that she was confident the company can make a comeback, with a phase that she called Northvolt 2.0.