Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, has announced that Karsten Winther will retire from his position as president, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective December 31, 2025. Paul Ryan, currently chief procurement officer, has been appointed as his successor, starting January 1, 2026.
“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.”
Winther will continue in his current role through the end of 2025, supporting the regional leadership transition. During his time at Vertiv, he progressed from leading regional sales to executive leadership, driving business strategy, operational excellence, and profitability across the EMEA region.
Paul Ryan has more than 20 years of industry experience, including more than eight years leading Vertiv global procurement and supply chain as chief procurement officer and vice president, global procurement / supply chain, leading a significant transformation of the procurement function, strengthening supply chain resilience and continuity, improving service levels, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. For more than ten years, he provided leadership for Emerson Network Power (now Vertiv) as 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.
“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,” said 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 received a bachelor’s degree in production management from the University of Limerick and later, a master’s degree in science from the department of mathematics at the University of Limerick. He also completed the executive development program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Effective immediately, Vertiv’s Patrick Grainey has been named as acting chief procurement officer, reporting directly to Albertazzi. Grainey will remain in this position while the company actively begins recruitment for the chief procurement officer role.
For more information on Vertiv and its complete portfolio of digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, visit Vertiv.com.
