Lau, who will become DESMI CEO from 1 December 2022, has had a 14 year-career with Grundfos where he was most recently group senior vice president, Global Industry Business. He has also served as CEO of Grundfos China and regional managing director of Western Europe Grundfos. Lau also worked for 16 years with Novo Nordisk and Novozymes.
Sørensen, 65, has been CEO of DESMI since 1996, and a shareholder since 2003.
“It has been an amazing journey leading this company for more than 26 years, and I am proud to hand over the keys to Humphrey as the company is in good shape and has considerable potential. I am looking forward to continuing this journey as a shareholder and member of the board of directors,” said Sørensen.
Earlier this year, DESMI signed a definitive agreement to sell a majority share to private equity firm One Equity Partners (OEP).
“OEP is extremely pleased to partner with Humphrey as he is an experienced executive with an established reputation having served in leadership roles of two well-respected Danish multinationals. We also thank Henrik for his many years of service to DESMI and look forward to his important role on the board and as a shareholder,” said Marc Lindhorst, principal at One Equity Partners.
Sørensen and the DESMI board of directors see Lau’s appointment as an opportunity to accelerate the growth of the business where more acquisitions are expected.
“I am super excited and humble about this opportunity to be able to work together with a world class team at DESMI,” said Lau. “Over the years I have followed the impressive development of DESMI under the strong and competent leadership of Henrik Sørensen. Together with the high performing global organization and support from a very professional owner like OEP, I am confident we can further develop and take DESMI to new heights.”
