Patrick Crombez re-elected president of European Heat Pump Association
Belgium – Patrick Crombez, General Manager of the Environmental Research Centre at Daikin Europe, has been re-elected president of the European Heat Pump Association after EHPA members voted in a new Board of Directors at the association’s 2026 General Assembly in Vienna.
The new Board and president will serve a two-year mandate. The vote took place at the Vienna Hofburg alongside the International Energy Agency’s Heat Pump Conference, bringing the appointment alongside wider industry discussions on heat pump deployment, electrification and Europe’s energy transition.
Sector focus moves to policy delivery
Crombez said the sector is now being recognised at the highest political levels as a key part of the electrification of Europe’s economies.
We must maximise this momentum, ensuring it leads to real change on tax levels on electricity, steady support systems, flexible tariffs for consumers, and a wider take-up of large heat pumps in industry
Patrick Crombez, president of the European Heat Pump Association
The comments point to several of the main barriers still facing the European heat pump market, including the relative cost of electricity compared with gas, the need for stable long-term policy support, and the role of flexible tariffs in improving consumer value.
Board to support EHPA’s EU engagement
Paul Kenny, Director General of EHPA, said the new Board reflected the breadth of the heat pump sector and thanked outgoing members for their contribution over the previous two years. He said: “Their strategic guidance will be vital for EHPA’s role as the voice of the industry to the EU at such a pivotal time.”
New Board confirmed
The new EHPA Board includes representatives from Danfoss, Grundfos, Vaillant, Johnson Controls, Panasonic, Carrier-Viessmann, the Dutch Heat Pump Association, EDF, Stiebel Eltron, Bosch, NIBE, Turboden, Heat Pumps Watch, Daikin, Qvantum Industries and Trane Technologies.
Board members are:
Andrea Voigt, Danfoss
Anna Charlotte Meyer Poulson, Grundfos
Barbara Priesching, Vaillant
Christina von Westernhagen, Johnson Controls
Enrique Vilamitjana, Panasonic
Faiz Afzal, Carrier-Viessmann
Frank Agterberg, Dutch Heat Pump Association
Frédéric Fontan, EDF
Hauke Haugen, Stiebel Eltron
Johannes Brugmann, Bosch
Laure Meljac, NIBE
Marco Baresi, Turboden
Marek Miara, Heat Pumps Watch
Patrick Crombez, Daikin
Thomas Nowak, Qvantum Industries
Valerio Forconi, Trane Technologies
