DUBAI, UAE, 11 February 2020: Eurovent Middle East conducted its annual meeting on February 9, during which members of the HVACR manufacturers association elected Brian Suggitt, Managing Director, Systemair UAE, as President. In his role, he will be supported by Tariq Al Ghussein, CEO, Taqeef, who was elected as Vice-President. Suggitt was elected President for the third consecutive term, as reported earlier in Climate Control Middle East.

According to a Press release issued by Eurovent Middle East, the new Board further consists of:

• Asim Ansari, Export Sales Manager, Airedale
• Dani Elamana, Technical Director, Camfil Middle East
• Rafael van Eijcken, General Manager, Baltimore Aircoil Middle East
• Frank Taaning Grundholm, VP – Global HVACR Sales, ABB
• Iyad Al Jurdy, Senior Manager, LG Electronics
• Srinivasan Rangan, Director of Marketing and Product Management, Rheem MEA
• Naveen Sivakumar, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Danfoss
• David Jacobs, VP and Managing Director EMEA, Baltimore Aircoil

Brian Suggitt

According to the release, Eurovent Middle East has seen considerable growth and development since its inception and saw an unprecedented number of technical meetings in 2019. The industry body was active on multiple regulatory issues, supporting authorities with combined feedback from the industry, and its members with clarifications and the resolution of potential regulatory obstacles to free trade, the release said.

According to the release, Suggitt has introduced a special theme for the year, ‘Making a difference by driving change’. Speaking on the occasion, he said: “I am excited to see so much energy and enthusiasm in the new Board. The development of the association from the beginning to now underlines the power of co-creation and cooperation. What we have achieved so far may not be immediately noticeable but would have never been able without the contributions and dedication of our members. We are competitors in the field, but what the field looks like is our common concern.”

Tariq Al Ghussein

Al Ghussein added: “People begin to gradually understand the benefits and opportunities an association provides. Having been in the Board for over a year now and seeing the work which was done assures me that the path we’ve followed is the right one. I can only emphasise again that the region needs much more cooperation among the industry and its various partners, be it government entities, consultants or contractors.”

Markus Lattner

The annual meeting also yielded an approval of lower membership fee structures for its members, which the release said, ensures the longevity of Eurovent Middle East for the years ahead. Speaking on the reduced fees and other changes, Markus Lattner, Managing Director, Eurovent Middle East, said: “It was initially planned to lower the fees when we reached a certain threshold of revenues. The growth in membership since the beginning allows us to make this step earlier than intended and, thus, easier for our members in an economically more difficult time. This should also encourage additional companies to consider a membership. Further steps include extending our reach into Egypt and Pakistan and publishing dedicated technical recommendations to provide guidance on key technologies. The acclaimed HVACR Leadership Workshops will be continued with Building Retrofit, Cold Chain and Data Centre Cooling events over the next three months.”