CLEVELAND, Jan. 23, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Chart Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:GTLS) today announced that Hans Lonsain has been promoted to the position of Chairman and Managing Director of Chart Ferox, Chart's European Distribution and Storage business, effective January 1, 2008. He replaces Gerd Kirchgassner, who retired at the end of 2007.
Mr. Lonsain, age 51, was previously responsible for sales and marketing for Chart Ferox in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In his new role, he will be responsible for all of Chart Ferox's operations and sales efforts. Mr. Lonsain will report to Tom Carey, President of Chart's Distribution and Storage Group.
"Over the past decade, our European Distribution and Storage operations have experienced significant growth, thanks, in large part, to Gerd Kirchgassner's leadership," said Sam Thomas, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Chart Industries. "We thank Gerd for his many contributions and wish him much success in his retirement."
"At the same time, we are extremely pleased to have someone with Hans Lonsain's experience and knowledge of the cryogenic industry step-up and join our senior management team," continued Mr. Thomas. "We continue to believe that Europe, the Middle East and Africa provide considerable growth opportunities for Chart and we look forward to Hans playing an important role in our global strategic direction, which will benefit Chart significantly."
Mr. Lonsain joined Chart in 1999 and has held a variety of sales and marketing positions with increasing responsibility, most recently sales and marketing for all of Chart Ferox. Prior to joining Chart, Mr. Lonsain was a Sales Manager with BOC Gases Benelux. He holds a degree from Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
Chart is a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment used in the production, storage and end-use of hydrocarbon and industrial gases. The majority of Chart's products are used throughout the liquid gas supply chain for purification, liquefaction, distribution, storage and end-use applications, the largest portion of which are energy-related. Chart has domestic operations located in eight states and an international presence in Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom.
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