Eaton names Kurt McMaken President – Europe, Middle East and Africa

Eaton has named Kurt McMaken president – Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. He succeeds Yannis P. Tsavalas who is moving to a new role as senior vice president, strategic initiatives – Electrical Sector. McMaken will report to Thomas S. Gross, Eaton’s vice chairman and chief operating officer for Eaton’s Electrical Sector.

  • Friday, 9th August 2013 Posted 11 years ago in by Phil Alsop

Prior to this appointment, McMaken served as vice president, finance and planning, for the Electrical Sector’s EMEA Region. He joined Eaton in 2001 as an associate in corporate planning and development and was named senior vice president, corporate development and treasury, in 2009. Prior to Eaton, he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.


“Kurt brings a terrific set of experiences in business development and finance that he will deploy to continue developing corporate regional capabilities and to expand Eaton’s business in the region,” said Gross. “Since joining Eaton, Kurt has delivered impressive results across a broad range of roles. His knowledge of the region, strategic mindset, and business acumen will help to advance our operating position in EMEA.”


McMaken has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is based at the EMEA Headquarters in Morges, Switzerland.


Tsavalas was named president of EMEA in July 2009. He had previously served as senior vice president and chief technology officer.


“As our regional leader for Europe, Yannis has overseen significant growth in Eaton’s European operations as well as in our regional headquarters,” said Gross. “His leadership has been important in furthering Eaton’s presence and reputation both in acquired businesses and across the EMEA markets. We will benefit greatly from his knowledge and experience in his new role in our Electrical Sector.”