Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Francesco Quaranta as its new President and CEO as of 1 April 2024. He replaces Mr Takaharu Ikeda, who will continue in the roles of Chairman of the Management Board at HCME and HCM Regional General Manager for Europe, Middle East and Northwest Africa (EMEA).

Francesco brings more than 20 years of international experience in the machinery sector to HCME, having held roles in strategic marketing and later as a P&L owner in a performance-oriented culture. He has an MBA in Operations Management and Finance from the Weatherhead School of Management in the USA, an Economics degree from the University of Turin, and most recently a Certification on Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

His early career began with management consulting at Ernst & Young and AT Kearney in Italy. He then moved to the machinery industry, covering supply chain and marketing leadership roles at CNH Industrial. Francesco’s next appointment took him to AGCO Corporation AGCO Corporation, where he held senior leadership roles with P&L responsibilities, ranging from sales and marketing, to the launch of new high-technology content products, and global parts and service. Most recently, he supported major corporations on profitability turnaround and private equity firms as a senior advisor in the industrial arena.

After working in Italy, the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland, Francesco speaks fluent English and French, as well as his native language of Italian. He will be based in Amsterdam leading the team into a new journey.

“I am very grateful and honoured by the trust given to me through the appointment to this role,” Francesco explains. “The Hitachi Construction Machinery products and services are widely recognised as reliable solutions. I am excited to see the plans for technology expansions on such a solid product range, which will define an even stronger future. Together with our distribution partners we will pave and walk the road to an even superior customer experience.”

“I would like to thank everyone for the trust and support they have invested in me during my time as the President and CEO of HCME over the past three years,” says Ikeda-san. “It has been an innovative and inspirational period during the company’s history, with everything from our 50^th anniversary celebrations to the unveiling of the first Hitachi electric excavator range at Bauma 2022. Naturally, I am delighted at the prospect of continuing to work in Amsterdam with HCME and my broader role within the EMEA region.”

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