John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America since 2011, has announced his retirement from Danfoss later this summer. Rick Sporrer, VP sales America for Danfoss Power Solutions, has been appointed to succeed Galyen. Over the next several months, Galyen and Sporrer will work together to ensure a successful transition, with Sporrer fully assuming the role on July 1.  

Galyen joined Danfoss in 2001 and held various management-level positions prior to his appointment to his current role. During his 21+ year career with Danfoss, he has been very instrumental in leading the company’s continued regional growth in North America—from $100 million in annual sales to $3 billion—and made significant contributions to the success of the business.

With more than 40 years of overall industry experience, Galyen has been active in leadership capacities of various industry associations. In 2020, he was chairman of the Board of Directors of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and he holds a seat on the Board of Governors at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). In addition, he has been an active thought leader and speaker on various influential panels addressing efficiency and sustainability topics.  

“The past 21 years at Danfoss have been the most rewarding of my career,” said Galyen. “I’m proud of the strides we have made in growing our business and footprint in North America, which is now Danfoss’ largest region, and I’m especially proud of the industry leadership position we’ve taken—together with our customers—to meet the changing market requirements. Rick is well-positioned to help Danfoss North America continue its growth journey and innovation in sustainable solutions.”

Sporrer brings more than 30 years of customer and regional expertise and leadership to his new role. Prior to his current role, he was director global sales – motors business unit. His strong leadership of the sales workstream activities proved invaluable in preparing for Danfoss’ successful merger with Eaton Hydraulics last year.  

“John has provided exceptional leadership to Danfoss North America for the past 15 years,” said Sporrer. “I’m looking forward to working with our business units to continue our commitment to innovation and customer service as we engineer solutions for a more sustainable world.”