During the 65th General Assembly, which was held online, the Eurovent members have elected Raul Corredera Haener (Systemair, Spain) as President of the Association. He succeeds Naci Sahin (FRITERM, Turkey), who was Eurovent President since 2018.
The new President will be supported by Henk Kranenberg (Daikin, Netherlands), a long-term Eurovent Board member, who has been elected Vice-President. The new Eurovent Board of Directors, including many new faces, consists of (in alphabetical order):
- Bengt Andersson (Lindab, Norway)
- David Jacobs (BAC, Belgium)
- Eric Jasikas (Carrier, France)
- Frank Taaning Grundholm (ABB, Denmark)
- Henk Kranenberg (Daikin, Netherlands) – Vice-President
- Mariano Covolo (Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems S.p.A., Italy)
- Mikael Borjesson (Swegon, Sweden)
- Lennart Oestergaard (VELTEK Ventilation) – Borne Board member
- Ozan Atasoy (Aiolos Air, Turkey)
- Pedro Miguel Abreu Silva (Sandometal, Portugal)
- Raul Corredera Haener (Systemair, Spain) – President
- Thomas Schraeder (VDMA) – Borne Board member
- Torsten Sondergaard (FläktGroup, Germany)
Following his election, Corredera stated: “It is with great honour that I take on the Eurovent Presidency. I thank all the Eurovent members, my employer, Systemair, and our Spanish Member Association, AFEC, for the trust they have placed in my person and capabilities. Together with my colleague and the Vice-President Henk Kranenberg from Daikin and the rest of the Board members, I would like to form a strong leadership that drives a positive change towards the next generation of our Association, the certification company, and the industry as whole. Together, we would like to underscore the important role our industry plays in the welfare of our society and in combatting climate change.”
He added: “There are several vital issues I believe we should tackle as an industry. First, while we must build even stronger bridges with EU institutions and member states, we must also look beyond Europe, further sharpening our international footprint and partnerships. While we want to facilitate next-level legislative measures in terms of indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and sustainable cooling, we must also prevent a growing bureaucratisation and national trade barriers. During my Presidency, we would like to facilitate a renewed, active partnership with like-minded international associations. Finally, we must complete and enforce the wide-ranging reforms being undertaken by Eurovent.”
The meeting included a review of the membership structure and preparation of an ambitious action plan for the upcoming year. Following the General Assembly, Eurovent is preparing to strengthen the Secretariat, which includes planning for the retirement of the Secretary General Felix Van Eyken and hiring several new Team members. Save the date for next year’s General Assembly, which will take place from 19 to 20 May 2022. If the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic allows, the next General Assembly will be held physically in Spain.