Ashraf Abdalla, formerly vice president and general manager, Global HVAC Applied Commercial Business, Johnson Controls, joined Smardt as chief operating officer, initially focused on North American opportunities.

Roger Richmond-Smith, Smardt founder and before that, Turbocor founder, retired as CEO but remains chairman of the board of directors, with project responsibilities for Europe, new product development, and strategic marketing.

“I am delighted to pass the baton today to this new team of global industry veterans,” said Richmond-Smith. “Vince and Ash are both major talents, and together with CFO Lucie Roy, they make a formidable team. This is vital if Smardt is to exploit post-pandemic opportunities for its lifetime oil-free efficiencies in the planet’s fight against climate change. And to all the key contributors to this disruptive little global group since its audacious formation in 2005, a very big thank you from me”.

 Smardt and TICA formed a global joint venture in 2018, with TICA owning a majority of stock.

"The TICA-Smardt group faces very major opportunities across the globe,” TICA chairman Jiang Li said. “Smardt’s global leadership in oil-free centrifugals combines well with TICA’s China leadership in high-end air handling, with an array of new products to follow. Key to TICA-Smardt’s success is the recruitment of major global talent. Today’s announcement is a strong start to some exciting post-pandemic growth.”

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