Rob Smith new Konecranes President and CEO

Rob Smith has been appointed as Konecranes president and CEO by the board of directors, he will assume the role on 1 February 2020. In the intervening period chief financial officer (CFO) and deputy CEO, Teo Ottola will be acting CEO.

Konecranes’ chairman of the board, Christoph Vitzthum, said, “Konecranes has concluded the integration following the MHPS acquisition that took place almost three years ago. The company is now ready for the next phase in its development, and for that I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to Rob Smith, who is a global leader with a track record in achieving market leadership positions through innovative business strategies, deep expertise in digitalization and strong customer focus.”

Smith joins Konecranes from AGCO Corporation, where his latest position has been senior vice president and general manager, Europe and Middle East. Prior to this, he has worked in business leadership roles in TRW Automotive, Tyco Electronics and Bombardier Transportation, among others. He is 54 years old and is a dual citizen of both Germany and the United States.

On his appointment Smith said, “It will be a great privilege to lead Konecranes on its path of profitable growth. Konecranes is a global industrial company with committed, talented people and impressive technology. I am excited about working with an exceptional team of leaders to take this special company and our customers’ businesses to new levels of achievement, success and growth.”

With this change, the current president and CEO, Panu Routila, left the Konecranes Group on 7 October.

Vitzthum said, “Panu Routila has successfully led Konecranes through a major transition on the company’s growth path, and on behalf of the board I want to warmly thank Panu for his work to make this happen.”

Routila said, “I am proud to have led Konecranes through one of the key phases of its history, the acquisition, integration and improvement in profitability. I want to thank the Board and all my colleagues for years of excellent cooperation and I wish Konecranes all the best in the future.”