BALTIMORE, Maryland (July 25, 2016)—Danfoss, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency electronic and mechanical components and controls for air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, industrial and water systems, has appointed Santiago Martin as head of Danfoss Drives—Americas.

In this role, Martin will be responsible for leading Danfoss’ drives business in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, ensuring the company’s profitable growth and driving innovation. He also will serve as part of the company’s management team in North America.

Santiago Martin, head of Danfoss Drives—AmericasSantiago Martin, head of Danfoss Drives—Americas

Previously, Martin was vice president at Danfoss Drives in Latin America, where he was responsible for sales, marketing and service. He joined Danfoss as part of the company’s merger with Vacon, where he spent seven years—first as managing director in Spain and Portugal, and later as vice president of Vacon Latin America.

“We’re pleased to welcome Santiago to this new position within Danfoss,” said John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America. “Variable speed drives continue to play an increasingly important role in the control of motor, fan, pump and gear applications across a variety of industry sectors; this technology is becoming more integrated as part of an overall pursuit of reliability, performance optimization and energy efficiency. Santiago brings tremendous leadership and expertise that we believe will strengthen our ability to help customers tackle these challenges, meet industry demands and look toward future high-performance innovations.”

“I’m excited to lead this dedicated team,” said Martin, who will be based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “As the second-largest AC drives manufacturer globally, Danfoss has a broad portfolio and deep application expertise to help our customers and channel partners achieve best-in-class performance and reliability in a variety of energy-intensive and high-performance industries.”

Martin holds an International MBA from Instituto de Empresa business school in Madrid, Spain, and completed Hanken & SSE Executive Education’s LEAP global leadership program in Stockholm, Sweden. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical industrial engineering from the University of Seville (Spain).