Emerson Process names new president

John Berra, the face and voice of Emerson Process Management for years is relinquishing control of the day-to-day operations to focus more on strategic planning.
Steven A. Sonnenberg will become executive vice president of Emerson and president of Emerson Process Management.
“I’m not retiring, but I now have an opportunity to return to my first love, technology,” he told 2,000 people during his keynote address at the Emerson Global Users Exchange in National Harbor, Maryland on Monday. “I am going to pass the leadership on to Steve Sonnenberg who moved to China with his family in the 1980s and it wasn’t the China you know today that you saw in the Olympics. “He built the Emerson Asia organization as we have it today. He is a tireless proponent of wireless.”
“I will stay on as chairman of Emerson Process Management to concentrate on strategic planning, technology and customer relations.”
These are big shoes to fill,” Sonnenberg said. “How can I be successful? How can I improve on our present formula? I don’t think I can; our numbers are too positive. If I can continue making our customers successful, everything will be fine.”
Sonnenberg joined Emerson in 1979 as a marketing analyst with Brooks Instrument. He took on marketing and general management positions in Germany, London and Asia Pacific. In 2000, Sonnenberg was appointed president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific and in 2002, he was appointed president of Rosemount.
Sonnenberg holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and a master of business administration from University of Virginia.
Other changes at Emerson Process Management include:
Michael H. Train, currently president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific, will become president of Rosemount and will return to the United States from Singapore. In addition, Sabee Mitra, currently president of Emerson Process Management Middle East will now be president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific and will move to Singapore.
David A. Tredinnick, who is now vice president Southeast Asia for Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific, will move to Dubai and replace Mitra as President of Emerson Process Management Middle East.
Larry W. Flatt will replace the retiring Gene Shanahan as group vice president for the Emerson Process Management Flow Group.
-- Nicholas Sheble