People: December 18, 2009

Dec. 18, 2009
Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, Netherlands): Zia Eftekhar has been appointed CEO of Philips Professional Luminaires North America, effective Jan. 1

Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, Netherlands):Zia Eftekhar has been appointed CEO of Philips Professional Luminaires North America, effective Jan. 1. Eftekhar will succeed Kaj den Daas, a 33-year veteran of Philips Lighting, who will continue as chairman of Philips Lighting North America and concentrate on supporting the company’s legislative activities and participation in industry associations such as the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Electrical Distributors.

Eftekhar is a 40-year veteran of the lighting industry and currently CEO of the Philips Lightolier Group, the single largest business within Philips Professional Luminaires. Since 1992 he has been the president of Lightolier and a Director of the Genlyte Group, the publicly traded parent of Lightolier acquired by Philips in 2008. Eftekhar played a crucial role in the integration of the Genlyte businesses into Philips, and in his new role he will lead the drive to further grow Philips’ leadership position in professional lighting systems and solutions in North America.

Ericson Manufacturing (Willoughby, Ohio):Sean O’Hara has been hired as the North Central sales manager. Prior to joining Ericson, Sean spent the last five years with Cablofil-Legrand with a focus on sales and training responsibilities for the company’s Midwest region. He has more than 20 years of experience within the electrical and construction industry and a B.S. in marketing from Western Illinois University.

Greenlee (Rockford, Ill.):Scott Hall, who had been serving as president, has been promoted to president of Textron’s Industrial Segment. Textron is Greenlee’s parent company. The promotion was made by new Textron Chief Executive Officer Scott Donnelly as part of his newly-created Executive Leadership Team. As president of Textron’s Industrial Segment, Hall will oversee the Textron businesses that manufacture and market branded industrial products worldwide, including E-Z-Go, Jacobsen, Greenlee and Kautex. He will continue his role as the president of Greenlee.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., named Cheryl English, Acuity Brands Lighting, as one of the winners of its 2009 Kite & Key Award. English is vice president of Market and Industry Development for the Conyers, Ga.-based lighting manufacturer. The Kite & Key Award recognizes individuals who advance the interests of the electrical industry through active and sustained involvement in the affairs of NEMA. English, who has served as chair of NEMA’s Lighting Division and has held various leadership positions in its Luminaire Section, was cited by the organization for her efforts in defining and promoting several federal energy-efficiency regulations.

At Acuity Brands Lighting, English is responsible for market development, energy and sustainability programs, industry and government relations, education, and marketing research. She holds a master of business administration degree from Georgia State University and a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Colorado.

At this year’s Affiliated Distributors North American Meeting in Dallas, Jim Summerlin, vice chairman, Mayer Electric Supply, Birmingham, Ala., received A-D’s Affiliate of the Year Leadership award. A 41-year industry veteran, Summerlin has been an associate of Mayer Electric Supply since 1975. Before joining Mayer Electric Supply, he was a field sales engineer with a manufacturer. Summerlin is a past-chairman of the National Association of Electrical Distributors and has served on the A-D board of directors and the advisory boards of several electrical manufacturers.

Sol Inc. (Palm City, Fla.): This manufacturer of solar lighting products for applications such as area and security lighting, roadways, billboards and transit and shelter lighting has appointed Andy Chaguaceda as its business development manager for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

He brings to Sol 30 years of electrical sales experience, having been previously associated with such companies as Thomas & Betts Utilities and Homac, where he held district, regional and international sales positions and has worked with distributors, contractors, factory representatives and engineers in Latin America, the Caribbean and South Florida. He holds an associate’s degree from Ashworth College in Atlanta and will be based in Miami to better serve the needs of Sol’s customer base in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.