Leading manufacturer of fans and motors, ebm-papst, announced the appointment of Ramesh Swaminathan as Sales Director for Southeast Asia.
Ramesh Swaminathan will oversee key markets including Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, while also assuming the position of Country Manager for Malaysia. Additionally, he will continue to lead the APAC & MEA regions (excluding China) for the Strategic Business Field of Air-Conditioning and Commercial Ventilation—a focus well aligned with the rapid growth of the data centre sector in Southeast Asia.
With over 30 years of leadership experience across Indian and global organisations, Ramesh brings extensive expertise in sales, marketing, B2B OEM partnerships, business operations, retrofits, upgrades, and customer service. He has been with ebm-papst India since 2008, most recently serving as General Manager – Sales & Marketing and Regional Lead for APAC & MEA (excluding China) in the Air-Conditioning and Commercial Ventilation segment.
At ebm-papst India, Ramesh played a pivotal role in driving revenue growth from €6 million in FY 2010–11 to €46 million in FY 2024–25. A notable achievement is his leadership in developing the retrofit business in India, promoting energy-efficient EC fan solutions directly to end-users. His efforts created market awareness and demand for upgrading existing systems, establishing retrofit as a key business vertical, and generating approximately €4 million annually. This initiative also catalysed the adoption of EC technology in new commercial air-conditioning projects.
In his new role, Ramesh will focus on expanding ebm-papst’s footprint across Southeast Asia, with a particular emphasis on Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. He will be responsible for driving regional sales growth, strengthening OEM and channel partnerships, and identifying new market opportunities aligned with the company’s energy-efficient product portfolio. Leveraging his proven track record in customer engagement, technical selling, and market development, Ramesh aims to build a robust regional strategy that supports sustainable growth, enhances brand visibility, and accelerates the adoption of EC technology in commercial HVAC applications.
He holds an MBA (X) in Business Analytics from NMIMS and is completing his Executive MBA from IIM Kashipur, further reinforcing his strategic and analytical capabilities.
Ramesh Swaminathan commented, “I am excited to take on this new responsibility as Sales Director, based out of Kuala Lumpur, and contribute to the organization’s growth across my region—Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“With a sharp focus on customer-centric strategies, energy-efficient solutions, and operational excellence, I look forward to delivering scalable, sustainable growth, delivering customer delight, while fulfilling ebm-papst’s strategic goals in the region.”
Thomas Schwab, Managing Director ebm-papst SEA Pte. Ltd. and Vice President Product Management and Strategy APAC & MEA, Air Technology APAC, added, “We are thrilled to welcome Ramesh to our team. Having such a motivated and experienced individual join us is a testament to our commitment to excellence and to further grow this region. We look forward to the valuable contributions Ramesh will bring to our organisation and [to] enhancing our offerings to the customers. With him, we aim to further grow our Service and IoT offerings and especially [strengthen] our leadership position in the data centre business in SEA.”
