The Belgian Philippe Ernens succeeds Vagner Rego, who will also take over from Mats Rahmström as CEO on May 1. Ernens currently heads the Oil-Free Compressed Air Division within Atlas Copco's Compressor Technology as President with global responsibility. He studied electromechanics at the University of Liège in Belgium and started his career at Atlas Copco in 1995 as a product developer in the Airtec division of the Compression Technology Group Area. After holding various positions as team leader, technical director and managing director, he headed the operational business of high-pressure compressors. In 2012, he became President of the Airtec Division and has been President of the Oil-Free Compressed Air Division since 2016. At Atlas Copco, the presidents are responsible for the global success of the individual divisions into which each Group area is subdivided.
Experience for Group management
"Philippe Ernens brings extensive experience, outstanding technical knowledge and a strong track record to Group management," said Mats Rahmström, CEO of the Atlas Copco Group. "He is also highly regarded as a leader across the Group."
Specialist for compressed air and vacuum technology
The Atlas Copco Group offers compressed air and vacuum technology, energy solutions, dewatering and industrial pumps, industrial power tools, assembly technology and vision solutions. In 2023, the Group generated sales of 173 billion Swedish kronor (around 15 billion euros) with around 53,000 employees. Compressor technology is Atlas Copco's largest division. With almost 24,000 employees, it generated sales of the equivalent of 6.6 billion euros in 2023. This is around 44% of Group revenue.