Whirlpool is getting a new President for the region encompassing Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and he brings a quarter century of experience to the board room. The appliance giant announced this morning that Gilles Morel will take the reins as President of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region (EMEA) and Executive Vice President of the corporation. In his role, he will report directly to Chairman and CEO Marc Bitzer.
Morel brings more than 25 years’ experience in the consumer goods industry, leading sales, operations, marketing, manufacturing, research and development, and procurement, including several regional leadership roles. His role with Whirlpool Corporation is effective April 1, 2019.
Bitzer says, “Gilles brings strong leadership skills, exceptional P&L ownership and a very good understanding of the European marketplace to our EMEA team,” and adds, “We look forward to seeing our EMEA business return to profitability and long-term value creation under his leadership.”
Gilles will assume leadership of the EMEA Region, headquartered in Milan, Italy with approximately 22,000 employees, a sales presence in more than 30 countries and 14 manufacturing sites in seven countries.
For his part, Morel says, “There is an abundance of talent along with great products and brands within Whirlpool EMEA and I look forward to building on the great work already in place.” Morel notes, “The industry throughout the EMEA region remains strong and I am fully committed to ensuring that we continue to lead and remain at the forefront of meaningful innovation.”
Morel presently holds the role of regional CEO (Northern and Central Europe) at Savencia Fromage & Dairy, overseeing 14 countries including Germany, Central Europe, Benelux and Nordics. Prior to that role he served in numerous regional leadership roles at Mars, Inc., most recently as Regional President, Europe and Eurasia.
Gilles was born in France and holds a Master’s Degree in International Food Industry Management from ESSEC.
Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading major home appliance company, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 92,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2017. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world.
