Louis Esquerre-Pourtere

Exotec - France

Warehouse robot maker Exotec has appointed Louis Esquerre-Pourtere director of research and development to lead its team of 170 engineers.

Esquerre-Pourtere graduated from the 2010 class of the Ecole Centrale de Lille, a French university specialising in engineering. 

He began his career in the railway industry and spent 10 years at Bombardier, where he contributed to the design of the latest Parisian Transiliens and double-decker TER trains. Louis joined Exotec in 2020 as a systems team manager.

As the first manager of the company's R&D teams, he played a crucial role in bringing together units capable of designing standardised, robust products tailored to the logistical needs of the company's clients.

In his new role as the director of the R&D team, Esquerre-Pourtere’s mission will be to ensure Exotec's new products meet customer needs, comply with market quality standards, and are delivered within specified deadlines. To achieve this, he will be supported by a team of 170 mechanical, electrical, electronic software design engineers, as well as project managers across several sites in France.

"The appointment of Louis Esquerre-Pourtere comes at a crucial moment for Exotec," says Renaud Heitz, Exotec co-founder and chief technology officer, who previously held the position. 

"We plan to recruit more than 80 R&D professionals in 2024 at our sites in Lille and Lyon. 

“Louis will have the main tasks of coordinating this strong growth across multiple sites while maintaining and improving execution standards and continuing to innovate." 

Dr Kurt D. Bettenhausen

Harting Technology Group - Germany

Dr Kurt D. Bettenhausen will depart the Harting Technology Group on 1 March.

In a statement, the company said Dr Bettenhausen was leaving his role as chief technology officer “by mutual agreement”.

He will remain available to the company in an advisory capacity in the coming months.

Dr Bettenhausen has worked for the Harting Technology Group as chief technology and development officer since 1 September 2020.

The company says Dr Bettenhausen had played a key role in shaping the innovation and technology roadmap for the coming years and was instrumental in driving numerous topics relating to product lifecycle management, quality assurance, innovation and development in an international context.

His successor is yet to be announced.

Greg Ecker

Magline - United States

Magline has promoted Greg Ecker to chief executive officer and named Mike Howard as president and chief operations officer.

Ecker joined Magline as global supply chain director in 2007 and held executive positions in operations, sales and marketing before being named president and chief operating officer in 2013. 

Prior to joining Magline, Ecker held senior positions with Whirlpool Corporation and Electronic Data Systems.

“Magline has experienced strong and steady growth under Greg’s guidance. His appointment by the Board to the position of CEO is recognition of this past success and a strong vote of confidence in his ability to lead us to new heights,” says Magline chairman Bruce Law. 

“Greg will shift his focus and attention to business development, growth, and corporate strategy.”

Howard joins Magline following leadership positions as president of Judson Smith, an ATW Company, and general manager at a division of Parker Hannifin. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University and a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University. 

“Mike’s hands on approach, enthusiasm, eagerness to learn, and passion for helping individuals achieve new levels of performance strongly position him to have a meaningful impact on people and achieve organisational success,” says Ecker.