Henkel appoints European sales manager for Automotive Electronics

In his new role, Mr. Dufresne will lead a core European sales team focused on the burgeoning automotive electronics market and will coordinate sales, marketing and messaging priorities between the European team and the automotive electronics groups in other countries. Key to success in the region is Henkel’s focus on product development in concert with automotive design centers and the company’s expertise in formulating superior materials for use with advanced automotive electronic applications. As previous Manager of Global Market Development for automotive electronics and the champion of the sales force restructure from geographical responsibility to a core market focus, Mr. Dufresne brings exceptional global perspective and product expertise to his role as European Sales Manager. With an automotive electronics team now securely positioned in every major design and manufacturing region, Henkel is uniquely positioned to support global auto manufacturers from conception through production, even when the manufacturing activities may occur in different facilities and countries. “Automotive electronics is such an exciting marketplace right now, primarily fueled by all the safety and comfort devices required and desired on today’s cars,” says Dufresne. “With growth rates of between 8% and 10% per year over the next 5+ years, it is an incredibly dynamic market in which to be involved and Henkel is committed to supporting our customers in this market with innovative materials solutions that keep them at the forefront of automotive electronics development and enable them to maintain their competitive edge.” Steven Dufresne has a degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University in Canada and has spent the last 11 years with Loctite®, now part of the electronics group of Henkel. Previous responsibilities included engineering, sales and marketing for the Loctite brand of products. Most recently, Mr. Dufresne was the Global Market Development Manager for Henkel’s automotive electronics business. In his new position, he will be based in Henkel’s Hemel Hempstead facility in the United Kingdom, where Henkel develops and manufactures its Multicore® brand of soldering technologies.