The American Red Cross of South Carolina is honored to announce the appointment of a new Chair of our Red Cross of the Lowcountry Board of Directors. Katarina Fjording, the Head of Volvo Car University and Sustainability Americas, will transition from her time as Vice Chair and now serve as the leader of the Chapter Board.

“Katarina continues to be a huge supporter of our Red Cross Mission and is passionate about the people in her community. She has been on the forefront of increasing the number of blood drives across the Lowcountry, recruited new board members and she is an active fundraiser. We are excited to see those efforts continue in her new leadership role,” said Ashley Henyan, the Executive Director for the Lowcountry Chapter. “Katarina’s hands on leadership in addition to her enthusiasm and support for new ideas will be instrumental in moving our work forward in a post-COVID world.”

Fjording has served as the Vice Chair of the board since 2020 and has been an active board member of the Lowcountry Red Cross Board of Directors since 2016. She has been volunteering with the Red Cross since 2001. Katarina Fjording is a senior Volvo Car executive and an automotive veteran with more than 30 years of global experience from Europe, Asia and America. Her most recent assignment, as Vice President Purchasing & Manufacturing Americas, brought her to South Carolina where she established Volvo Cars’ first industrial footprint in America and oversaw the build-up of Volvo Cars’ production facility in Ridgeville.  In addition to her work on the Red Cross board, Katarina currently serves on the Clemson University President’s Advisory Board, the College of Charleston School of Business Board of Governors, the Cradle to Career Board, the Gibbes Museum Board and she is an Honorary Commander at the Joint Military Base Charleston.

“I am honored and humble to take on this role. Red Cross makes a significant difference for those in need and I look forward to continue to serve with our great team of dedicated staff and volunteers and engaged board members who all contribute in making our work meaningful and successful.”, said Katarina.

The Lowcountry Chapter of the Red Cross of South Carolina serves nine counties (Williamsburg, Georgetown, Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper and Beaufort) and is made up of more than 600 active volunteers. In the past year, the Lowcountry team of staff and volunteers has responded to more than 600 local disasters and helped more than 1,700 people across the area. The team has also conducted over 1,400 blood drives and collected over 30,000 units of lifesaving blood. 

The Lowcountry Chapter Board of Directors consists of 19 influential community leaders.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.  The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/SC or @RedCrossSC