BALTIMORE — Hannes Leichtfried, a Danfoss veteran of 30 years, is the new head of sales and marketing at the Danfoss Drives business segment in North America.

“I am thrilled about my new role in a vital market for our Drives business,” Leichtfried said in a press release. “There are significant opportunities to capture market share and enhance the Danfoss brand, both in our core business and in emerging segments like electrification. With our skilled team in North America, we aim to create a compelling value proposition for our customers, offering application leadership and support to facilitate their decarbonization efforts.”

Leichtfried, a native of Austria, began his career at Danfoss in 1994 as a technical support engineer, then moved into sales and marketing roles. He was most recently the head of sales and marketing for Danfoss Drives in the Central European region.

In his new role, he will be based at the Danfoss Drives offices in Loves Park, Illinois.

“Our region has a strong trend of growth for Danfoss Drives,” said Rick Sporrer, president of Danfoss North America. “With high-quality products and our experienced and competent team on the ground, we have the foundation to take a leading position in the North America region. Hannes brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record, and I look forward to working with him to increase our market share in North America.”

Leichtfried has an undergraduate engineering degree from Federal Higher Technical Institute (Austria) as well as additional training in sales, marketing, and strategic management.