"The year is 1961. A young couple from former Yugoslavia, Yubiza and Ivan, have just been picked up by a bus from Sweden – most probably a Volvo bus… They had been staying at a refugee centre in Austria, and a group of Swedish companies had come there to recruit new employees, showing films about Sweden and about Swedish companies. Sweden seems like a good place to build a future. So Yubiza and Ivan decided to go there and apply for jobs. Within a week of arrival, they are working full time at the Volvo plant in Köping. There is not enough housing in Köping, so the first few weeks they stay at a hotel. Shortly after, Volvo builds temporary homes for their workers. With stable jobs, Yubiza and Ivan quickly established themselves in Sweden. Eventually, they were able to buy a house of their own. And they could start to raise a family. Their son, Patrick, was born in 1972. And he isn’t just their son – he is also one of my dearest friends. And I am grateful that Volvo gave that young couple - and many others - a chance almost 60 years ago.(...) Some of you might wonder what happened to Yubiza and Ivan? Well, I am happy to say they still live in Köping. They have children and grandchildren. And they stayed proud Volvo employees for the rest of their working lives."
Prince Daniel told a personal story during his visit to Volvo’s CampX innovation centre, 28th March 2019
