Sonepar (Paris, France): Philippe Delpech has been appointed chief executive officer of Sonepar, effective Sept. 4. Delpech joins the world’s largest electrical distribution company after 17 years with UTC, where he was president of the Otis Elevator business unit and a member of UTC Executive Committee.
“Philippe comes to us with an extensive, varied international career,” Marie-Christine Coisne-Roquette, Sonepar chairman, said in a release. “He will be able to draw on our powerful entrepreneurial DNA, the passion of our associates and our unique business model combining local initiative, cross-cutting action and global ambition.”
The release said Delpech will be supported by the experience of François Poncet, CFO, and Dave Gabriel, COO.
Schneider Electric (Andover, MA): Ganesh Aiyer was named Vice President of Sales Operations in North America. Aiyer will be responsible for the overall productivity and effectiveness of the North America sales operations organization and the deployment of commercial programs.
Ganesh will work closely with Schneider Electric’s marketing and sales management teams to ensure the sales organization’s efficient operation. He will also have direct oversight of sales processes and system investments. Ganesh joins Schneider Electric from Dell, where he held multiple leadership and executive roles in sales operations, field sales, sales engineering, inside sales and mergers and acquisitions.
Leviton Manufacturing Co. (Melville, NY): Stephen J. Yunker has joined the company as a national account manager for Leviton’s Distribution Channel Sales Team. He will be reporting to Bill Cheetham, vice president of distribution sales.
Yunker brings his experience and engagement with large, complex national channel accounts to Leviton after 27 years in sales at Ideal Industries, the last 15 years as national accounts manager. In that role, Yunker handled sales with several major distributors and managed a wide-range of field activities. His background also includes field management experience with both direct field salespeople and manufacturer representative firms. Yunker received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Northern Illinois University and resides with his family in the Chicagoland area.
Crum Electric Supply (Casper, WY): Jeff Hockin was named chief executive officer of the company and David M. Crum its new president and general manager.
Hockin joined Crum Electric in 1985 in inside sales and has been branch manager, VP sales and marketing, VP and general manager, and has served since 2004 as the company’s president and COO. Hockin currently serves on the board of directors of buying/marketing group Affiliated Distributors (AD), Wayne, PA. He has held positions with AD as chairman of various committees, and served on AD’s Electrical Division board.
The latest of his family to help lead the company, Crum joined the company in 1999 as an automation specialist after some time with Pacific Scientific Corp. as an application engineer. Since 2004 he has been vice president of sales and marketing. Along with serving on various industry committees and councils, Dave served as NAED’s vice president for the Western Region.
Robroy Enclosures (Belding, MI): Derek Huizinga has been named the company’s sales and service manager. This position will oversee all sales, marketing and customer service-related activities and will report directly to the company’s president.
Huizinga earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Grand Valley State University and has held progressive leadership positions in operations, sales, supply chain management, and corporate strategic development, working in various manufacturing industries.
Houston Wire & Cable Co. (Houston): Long-time electrical distribution executive Roy Haley was elected to the company’s board of directors. Haley will also serve as a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees. Haley, age 70, served as the chairman of the board of WESCO International Inc. from 1998 until his retirement in 2011 and CEO from 1994 to 2009.
Van Meter Inc. (Cedar Rapids, IA): Melanie Fisher Doyle has joined the company’s leadership team as CFO. She brings more than 20 years of experience in finance, investment management and law. Before joining Van Meter, she served in a variety of roles at Aegon Asset Management, where she was both a senior officer and an attorney in the accounting and reporting areas of the real estate operation. Prior to that she was in-house counsel for a national telecommunications firm, and spent several years in private law practice. She earned her undergraduate degree at Luther College and then went on to the University of Iowa, College of Business and College of Law to complete her Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Juris Doctor (JD) degrees. Melanie’s community service record includes volunteering for Alternative Services/Meals on Wheels, JDRF of Eastern Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.
MaxLite (West Caldwell, NJ): Jim Poynton is now director of utility program implementation. Poynton will manage MaxLite’s participation in utility rebate programs and drive new opportunities that produce energy savings for utility customers. Prior to joining MaxLite, Poynton was senior program manager for CLEAResult, one of the largest providers of energy efficiency programs services in North America. He has a decade of experience managing retail utility programs and developing retail partnerships.