Katarina Fjording

CEO, Fatum LLC ; COO, Coastal 8 ; SVP Innovation and Industry Engagement, College of Charleston

Katarina is a senior executive and engineer with 37 years of global experience from Europe, Asia and America, with major OEMs Volvo Cars and Ford Motor Company, and as Tier 1 supplier.

In addition to building organizations, leading complex projects and managing major operations, her broad experience in the automotive industry includes engineering, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, sustainability, education, and customer experience.

Katarina has held several senior positions with Volvo Cars including Vice President Manufacturing Asia, and Vice President Purchasing & Manufacturing America, leading the establishment of Volvo Cars’ first industrial footprint in America including overseeing the build of the production facility in South Carolina, a greenfield mega project. Most recently, Katarina was the Head of Volvo Car University and Sustainability for Volvo Cars America.

At present, Katarina works as a senior advisor and consultant through her company, Fatum, and she works with sustainability and resiliency systems integration for coastal communities as COO with Coastal 8. As SVP Innovation and Industry Engagement and Distinguished Professor of Practice with the College of Charleston, she has an advisory role to the president, provost and chief advancement officer.

Katarina believes in giving back and is an active board member and community volunteer. Her previous board assignments include Clemson University President’s Advisory Board, Cradle to Career Board, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China and the Executive Board of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves on the Board of Governors of the College of Charleston School of Business, the Red Cross SC Lowcountry Board, which she previously chaired, and she is a co-creator of the College of Charleston ‘Women for Women Summit’. As a former Honorary Commander and Palmetto Leader at the Joint Military Base Charleston, she now serves on the Honorary Commander’s Advisory Council.

Katarina is an Honorary Doctor of Science with Claflin University, a Manufacturing Institute STEP Ahead Award Honoree, and a Founder’s Award Honoree with the Trident Literacy Association. Charleston Business Magazine named her one of the 50 Most Influential in the South Carolina Lowcountry in 2017.

Katarina loves the outdoors and is an avid sail racer and hunter. Her passion for ocean and marine biology has taken her to such remote places as the Arctic and Antarctica.