Vertiv appoints Paul Ryan as EMEA president succeeding Karsten Winther

Vertiv has confirmed that Karsten Winther, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), will retire from his role at the end of 2025. Paul Ryan, currently chief procurement officer, has been appointed to succeed Winther as regional president, effective from the start of 2026.

EMEA leadership

Winther will continue to oversee the region until his retirement, supporting Vertiv's leadership transition. During his time with the company, Winther has led both sales and executive functions, managing strategy, operational execution and profitability across EMEA markets.

Vertiv chief executive Giordano Albertazzi said Winther's time with the company was marked by significant contributions in the face of evolving market challenges.

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

Incoming president

Paul Ryan brings over two decades of industry experience to the new role. He has spent the past eight years leading Vertiv's global procurement and supply chain functions and played key roles with the company and its predecessor, Emerson Network Power, including leadership positions in Asia Pacific, EMEA operations, and data centre solutions. His tenure has focused on procurement transformation, supply chain resilience, service improvement and fostering organisational change.

Albertazzi commented on Ryan's appointment: "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. 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 has completed an executive development programme at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Procurement interim

As Ryan steps into his new role, Vertiv has named Patrick Grainey as acting chief procurement officer. Grainey will report to Albertazzi and remain in this interim position while Vertiv starts the recruitment process for a permanent successor.