Smardt Chiller Group, pioneer and still no 1 in the global oil-free centrifugal chiller market segment, today announced a major expansion of its worldwide leadership team.
Vince Canino, COO since 2014, becomes President and CEO, effective immediately. MrCanino’s career in the HVACR and power industries includes senior VP roles with Trane, the chief executive role at the DG Energy cogeneration group and many years with GE Power Systems.
Ashraf Abdalla, formerly VP & General Manager, Global HVAC Applied Commercial Business, Johnson Controls, joins as COO, initially focused on North American opportunities.
Roger Richmond-Smith, Smardt founder and before that, Turbocor founder, retires as CEO but remains chairman of the Board of Directors, with project responsibilities for Europe, new product development and strategic marketing.
He said today: “I am delighted to pass the baton today to this new team of global industry veterans. Vince and Ash are bothmajor talents, and together with CFO Lucie Roy, they make a formidable team.This is vital if Smardt is to exploit post-pandemic opportunities for its lifetime oil-free efficienciesin the planet’s fight against climate change. And to all the key contributors to this disruptive little global group since its audacious formation in 2005, a very big thank you from me”.
TICA chairman Jiang Li added: “The TICA-Smardt group faces very major opportunities across the globe. Smardt’s global leadership in oil-free centrifugals combines well with TICA’s China leadership in high-end air handling, with an array of new products to follow. Key to TICA-Smardt’s success is the recruitment of major global talent. Today’s announcement is a strong start to some exciting post-pandemic growth”.