Kenworth Appoints Peter Ahrens and Joe Adams to New Leadership Positions

Peter Ahrens has been named Kenworth’s general manager and PACCAR vice president, effective July 1. Ahrens previously served as Kenworth’s assistant general manager of operations and has worked with PACCAR for 15 years in positions of increasing responsibility, including PACCAR Parts product director, director of product marketing and managing director at PACCAR subsidiary Leyland Trucks in the United Kingdom.


“I am honored and excited to step into this role and lead Kenworth during a transformative time for our industry,” Ahrens said. “Kenworth has built a reputation centered on three core values – quality, innovation, and state-of-the-art technology – and I’m committed to strengthening and advancing that legacy. As our industry continues to evolve, I look forward to working alongside our talented team to deliver exceptional products and forward-thinking solutions that meet our customers’ needs today and into the future.”


Ahrens holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and a Master of Business Administration from the same university.


Joe Adams has been named Kenworth’s assistant general manager of operations and has worked with PACCAR for 26 years, most recently serving as Kenworth’s chief engineer. He has held positions of increasing responsibility, including PACCAR director of purchasing, PACCAR assistant chief engineer for North America embedded engineering and Kenworth assistant chief engineer for cab, electrical and outer body development.


Adams earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama and a Master of Business Administration in Technical Management from the University of Washington.