Hires, repositionings take place around the world.

Ridder: New Position with thyssenkrupp

Michael Ridder, former head of Media Relations at thyssenkrupp Elevator, has stepped into a new role with the company, joining thyssenkrupp’s Materials Services team. In this role, he is the first point of contact for Materials Services, responsible for external and internal communications. Focused on global distribution of materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, nonferrous metals and plastics, Materials Services has 480 sites in 40 countries. Until Ridder’s successor in Media Relations is named, all press inquiries may be sent to press.elevator@thyssenkrupp.com.

Seeger: Schmersal Group APME Director

The Schmersal Group has named Uwe Seeger director of Asia Pacific Middle East (APME). In this newly created role, he is responsible for expanding customer relationships through establishing new Schmersal subsidiaries and increasing the services of the new safety-services division, tec.nicum. He also takes lead responsibility for Schmersal factories in India and China, working closely with Sagar Bhosale, managing director of Schmersal India Pvt. Ltd. in Ranjangaon/Pune, India, and Felix Liu, managing director of Schmersal Industrial Switchgear Co. Ltd. of Shanghai, in an effort to “achieve improved integration of these two production sites and leverage synergies.” Fluent in Chinese, Seeger has held top positions at global companies for many years. He observes:

“The Asian market for machine-safety components has seen two-figure growth in recent years, especially in China. Companies in this region are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of safety in industrial working environments, as safety reduces the potential for accidents, ensures shorter downtimes and improves productivity.”

Manzo: HR at KONE Americas

KONE has named Nicole Manzo executive vice president of Human Resources at KONE Americas, where she will oversee HR functions for approximately 7,000 employees. Based in Lisle, Illinois, Manzo reports directly to KONE Americas Executive Vice President Larry Wash. Manzo has extensive HR leadership experience, most recently at Abbot Diagnostics. She has handled coaching, employee engagement, recruiting and training, and developed and executed strategies, including those related to benefits, payroll and reward programs. Spending time abroad, she designed and deployed HR transformation initiatives for entities similar in size to KONE. Manzo holds a bachelor’s degree in HR Management from DePaul University.

Jussi Herlin: KONE Vice Chairman

At its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in February, the KONE Board of Directors reelected Antti Herlin as chairman and elected Jussi Herlin as vice chairman. Jussi Herlin was elected as Chairman and Anne Brunila, Antti Herlin and Ravi Kant as members of the Audit Committee. Brunila and Kant are independent of both the company and of significant shareholders. Antti Herlin was elected as chairman and Matti Alahuhta, Jussi Herlin and Juhani Kaskeala as members of the Nomination and Compensation Committee. Kaskeala is independent of both the company and of significant shareholders, and Alahuhta is independent of significant shareholders.

A member of the board since 2012 and a deputy member of the board in 2007-2012, Jussi Herlin is senior business analyst, Strategy Development at KONE. He previously served as consultant at Accenture in 2012-2014. He is also a member of the following boards: Security Trading Oy, the Tiina and Antti Herlin Foundation, the Technology Industries of Finland and the Supervisory Board of The Finnish Fair Corp. Along with those mentioned, the eight board members include Iiris Herlin and Sirpa Pietikäinen.

Wilson: GAL Midwest Regional Sales Manager

Mark Wilson has been named Midwest Regional Sales manager at GAL Manufacturing Corp., with account-management responsibility for GAL, Hollister-Whitney Elevator Corp. and GAL Canada customers. He is also serving as a liaison for industry consultants. Wilson has more than 20 years of elevator-industry sales experience, most recently serving as sales manager for the elevator division of Magnetek, Inc. He holds a BS from Indiana University. GAL said hiring Wilson “represents another step in our sales organization’s continuing commitment to providing superb service by placing key GAL personnel in closer proximity to our customer base.”

Tom Davies: Avire EIMEA Sales Director

Tom Davies has been named Avire sales director for Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa (EIMEA). He joins Avire from Instron, where he served as commercial director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He holds a degree in Materials Engineering and Science from the University of Wales Swansea and has experience in sales, strategic product marketing and innovation programs. Davies stated:

“With a strong brand heritage in the lift industry, we will continue to grow by developing innovative new products, supported by increased investment in our local presence. . . . I’m looking forward to gaining a fuller understanding of our customers’ challenges and making sure that we can solve those in the most effective way.”

Shankar: Head of Drive Sales at Ziehl-Abegg Middle East

Sundara Rajan Shankar has been named head of Drive Sales at Ziehl-Abegg Middle East (ZAME). Shankar has 25 years of elevator experience in the Middle East and “understands the needs of our customers,” states ZAME Managing Director David Miller. After completing his electrical and engineering studies in India, Shankar worked for international companies in Bahrain, India and the U.A.E. Praising ZAME’s ZAlift software for the selection of drive motors and frequency inverters, he said the company “offers customer-specific solutions for individual requirements in the area of elevator technology that are efficient, energy saving, quiet and economical.”