Rob Smith

Frankfurt, Germany
Rob Smith, a US and German citizen, will become the new chief executive officer of KION Group AG. The supervisory board has appointed the 56-year-old to succeed long-serving CEO Gordon Riske, effective 1 January, 2022, with the usual three-year contract term for initial appointments. Riske will leave the executive board on 31 December.
Smith is currently president and CEO of the publicly listed Finnish group Konecranes, a leading international manufacturer of industrial cranes and container port automation. From 2013 to 2019, he was senior vice president and general manager Europe, Africa and Middle East of the global agricultural machinery company AGCO Corporation.
Prior to that, he held management positions in automotive supply and capital goods companies in the US, France and Germany.
Smith holds a BSE in Systems Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA in International Operations and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business.

Arapidis

Oklahoma City, OK, United States
Kirby-Smith Machinery, a leading distributor of heavy equipment and cranes in the central United States, has named John Arapidis as president and CEO. Ed Kirby, the company's co-founder, president and CEO of nearly 40 years, will step back from his current position and will serve as chairman of the board.
Arapidis joined Kirby-Smith Machinery in 2017, serving as vice president of major accounts. Prior to joining Kirby-Smith, Arapidis spent nearly 30 years at Komatsu, where he held various roles including national accounts manager and vice president of the rental and used equipment division.
Arapidis currently lives in Dallas and will relocate to Oklahoma City with his wife. He holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Loyola University.

Vehviläinen

Helsinki, Finland
The boards of directors of Cargotec and Konecranes have agreed to select Mika Vehviläinen as the president and CEO of their merged company. The appointment will become effective upon completion of the transaction which is currently expected to take place by the end of H1/2022. Until completion, both companies will operate fully separately and independently.
Vehviläinen has served as Cargotec's CEO since 2013. He is also a member of the board of directors of Danfoss A/S.
Prior to joining Cargotec, Vehviläinen acted as president and CEO of Finnair Plc between 2010 and 2013, as COO for Nokia Siemens Networks between 2007 and 2009, and in various positions with Nokia between 1991 and 2007. He also has acted as vice chairman of the board of directors of Elisa Corporation between 2014 and 2018 (member between 2012 and 2014) and of Vacon Plc between 2010 and 2014 (member during 2009).
Vehviläinen holds a Master of Science degree in Economics.