Vertiv will transition its Europe, Middle East and Africa leadership on January 1, 2026, with chief procurement officer Paul Ryan set to succeed Karsten Winther as regional president. 

The company has confirmed that Winther will retire at the end of 2025 after leading the EMEA business through a period of growth and market volatility, with Ryan then set to take on responsibilities. 

“Karsten has made impactful contributions to Vertiv during his tenure, particularly in strengthening our EMEA region through complex market dynamics,” said Giordano Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv. 

“His strong leadership and passion for growing our business and our people, combined with his deep understanding of the market and ability to build lasting customer relationships, have been critical to our success.”

During his time at Vertiv, Winther progressed from leading regional sales to executive leadership, shaping business strategy and operational performance across EMEA.

For his part, Ryan brings more than two decades of industry experience. He has led Vertiv’s global procurement and supply chain since 2017, overseeing a transformation of the function, with a focus on resilience, continuity and service levels. Earlier roles included vice president, operations for EMEA; vice president and managing director for Asia Pacific; and vice president, global operations and supply chain for data centre solutions at Emerson Network Power (now Vertiv).

“Paul’s vast experience with our industry and technologies, commercial acumen, proven track record in leading regional and global execution, combined with his expertise in advancing global supply chains and procurement, makes him the ideal leader to build upon the strong foundation established in our EMEA region,” added Albertazzi. 

“Paul’s internal succession to this role is a reflection of his impressive results and the momentum of Vertiv’s high performance culture. I am confident in his ability to further accelerate the region’s success and drive continued growth.”

Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in production management and a master’s degree in science from the University of Limerick, and completed an executive development programme at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Effective immediately, Patrick Grainey has been appointed acting chief procurement officer, reporting to Albertazzi, while recruitment begins for a permanent appointment.