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Becker is Schneider’s new president for UK and Ireland
Published:  23 November, 2020

UPDATED: Kelly Becker has been appointed Schneider Electric’s zone president for the UK and Ireland, succeeding from Mike Hughes, who is moving to a new global position overseeing Schneider’s Digital Customer Experience, Digital Marketing and Global Sales operations.

Schneider has also appointed Mark Yeeles as vice-president of its industrial automation operation in the UK and Ireland. He is taking over from Martin Walder who is moving into a new role, overseeing industrial automation transformation across Europe.

Becker, who will take up the reins on 1 January, 2021, will play a pivotal role in steering the next phase of strategy and growth for Schneider Electric in the UK and Ireland. Originally from the US, Becker joined Schneider in 2011 and has held a variety of posts, including vice-president of Power Solutions and Director of Strategy and Business Development North America. Most recently, she was country president for Ireland where she oversaw considerable growth, driven partly by the country’s booming data centre market. A new country president for Ireland will be appointed in the coming months.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to lead the 4,300-strong UK & Ireland team at a time of huge changes and transformation, nationally and globally,” says Becker. “I thrive on transformative change, and my priority is to build on our achievements in sustainability and tackling climate change by broadening our diversity of thinking, including bringing in non-engineering talent to deliver innovative real-world impact for our clients and partners.”

Becker will report to Barbara Frei, executive vice-president of Schneider’s European operations. “The UK & Ireland are important markets with huge opportunities for Schneider Electric,” says Frei. “Having worked closely with Kelly over the past couple of years, I know that she has the experience, professionalism, in-depth knowledge, and passion required to drive our strategy and operational success.”

Becker: “I thrive on transformative change”

“I’m extremely confident in passing the reigns to someone as driven and capable as Kelly, to continue building on the strength and successes of Schneider’s existing offering in the UK and Ireland,” adds Mike Hughes. “As market expectations shift and customer experience become the centrepiece of growth for the organisation, new thinking and approaches are needed. I look forward to bringing my vision and experience to my new role to ensure we continue meeting our customers’ expectations.”

In his new role, Mark Yeeles – who has been Schneider Electric’s industrial segment director for the past five years, after previously working for ABB, Rockwell, Omron and Perkins Engines – will focus on increasing the uptake of interoperable automation software in the UK and Ireland. He will help to make the potential benefits of digitalisation and automation a reality in the region. Yeeles will have a specific focus on the CPG (consumer packaged goods), food and beverage, and water markets.

Yeeles: boosting the uptake of interoperable software