Brussels, 6 July 2026 – EPEE, the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment, is pleased to announce that, as of 23 June, its new Board of Directors has been officially appointed.
EPEE has appointed its three new leaders, namely: Chairman, Rainer Grosse-Kracht (Bitzer); Vice-Chairman, Didier Genois (Carrier); and Treasurer, Luc Dehon (Climalife). Their leadership will be essential in supporting EPEE’s priorities in the coming years and ensuring that the sector’s expertise continues to be clearly and consistently reflected in ongoing European policy discussions.
The new Board of Directors are composed of Andrea Voigt (Danfoss), Raul Simonetti (Carel), John Foley (JCI), Rainer Grosse-Kracht (Bitzer), Luc Dehon (Climalife), Didier Genois (Carrier), Patrick Crombez (Daikin Europe), Kenichi Ichihara (General), Kenji Kobayashi (Panasonic), Sylvain Lamy (Copeland), Julien Soulet (Solstice), Thom Hermans (Chemours), Dochul Choi (Samsung), Marco Masini (Asercom, representing all the member associations of EPEE) and Donald Dow (Mitsubishi Electric). In particular we welcome 3 new members, namely John Foley, Patrick Crombez and Donald Dow.
They will strategically guide EPEE, supporting the association’s work in representing the heating, cooling and refrigeration sector both at European level and, with particular attention, at the national level.
EPEE’s members bring together the full breadth of the RACHP value chain, including refrigerant gas producers, component manufacturers, system and equipment manufacturers, distributors, installers, service providers and end users.
Among the key future priorities outlined by the new leaders are the implementation of the EU F-gas Regulation and its future reviews, the ongoing work on Ecodesign Lot 1 and Lot 2, the PFAS restriction proposal, and the broader policy agenda related to electrification, heating and cooling, and Europe’s clean energy transition.
“As Europe advances towards its climate and energy objectives, heating and cooling must be recognized as a central part of the solution,” said Russell Patten, Director General of EPEE. “With our new Board of Directors and leadership team, EPEE is well placed to further strengthen the visibility of our sector, support evidence-based policymaking, which is an extremely important element of credibility for us, and ensure that the voice of the full RACHP value chain is heard not only in Brussels, but with strong resonance across Europe.”
Through its Board of Directors, its Working Groups, led by a new team, and its active membership, EPEE will continue to promote practical, ambitious and technology-neutral solutions that support decarbonization, energy efficiency, safety, competitiveness and innovation across the European heating, cooling and refrigeration sector.
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About EPEE
The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) represents manufacturing companies and associations operating in the refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump (RACHP) industry in Europe.
For more information, please contact:
Russell Patten; EPEE Director General; r.patten@epeeglobal.org
Agnese Longo; Communications Advisor; a.longo@epeeglobal.org
