Jochen Becker promoted to COO, Kirk Wardell named new president
Marquardt Switches, a manufacturer and global supplier of switches, sensors and controls, says “farewell” to its current president, Jochen Becker, who has accepted an internal promotion and will relocate in March to the company’s headquarters in Germany to assume his new position as chief operating officer of the Marquardt Group.
As Becker transitions into his new role as COO of the Marquardt Group, he will be responsible for overseeing operations in nine Marquardt manufacturing locations worldwide.
Effective immediately, Marquardt announced, Kirk Wardell, director of operations and industrial engineering, has been appointed Becker’s successor.
As president, Wardell will be responsible for Marquardt’s North American headquarters and manufacturing plant, located in Cazenovia and its North American Automotive Sales and Research and Development Office, located in the Metro-Detroit Area.
“We are certain about Mr. Wardell’s ability to continue advancing Marquardt’s North American business and carry on our legacy as a major global player,” Becker said. “In addition to his ability to think strategically, we trust that his advanced knowledge of our processes and his broad understanding of our customers will play a major role in his success and the ongoing success of this company.”
Wardell has been with MSI for more than 12 years, for which he has been responsible for overseeing production, as well as equipment build and design. Prior to joining Marquardt, he held a number of engineering and operations positions for a variety of manufacturing companies. Wardell has a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Arizona State University and currently resides in Cazenovia with his family.
Becker joined Marquardt in 1998 and was appointed to president of Marquardt Cazenovia in 2007. After successfully leading the company through the economic recession and the decline and resurgence of the North American automotive industry, he was appointed to vice president North America in 2012, which placed him in command of Marquardt Group’s North American market.
