In this position, Mr. Verhappen will be responsible for overseeing all Yokogawa business operations in Canada and is expected to expand Yokogawa business in the Canadian market.
Verhappen’s professional career covers a broad range of engineering, managerial, consulting and executive positions with a leading oil sands operator, automation suppliers, consultants, and engineering societies. He spent the first 25 years of his career in the upstream hydrocarbon industry with Petro-Canada (now Suncor) and Syncrude Canada Ltd. gaining exposure to the full spectrum of the oil and gas as well as the oil sands sector. Verhappen left the Oil Sands industry for MTL Instruments (now part of Cooper Crouse-Hinds) where he was responsible for the development of worldwide business strategy and results for MTL’s global industrial networking business. More recently, he has been working in the engineering services business as a global consultant assisting clients with their process plant networking, digital field systems, process control and safety systems, process analyzer systems and automation projects.
Yokogawa Corporation America President Chet Mroz had the following to say about the appointment: “Mr. Verhappen is well recognized within our industry as someone who quickly identifies the customers’ core problem and understands how technology can be used to provide cost effective solutions to the issue at hand. I believe that his experience, industry knowledge, understanding of the Canadian market, as well as his strong leadership, will help expand our business in Canada by providing customer services excellence.”
Verhappen holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, and a Certified Automation Professional. He is a Fellow member of the International Society of Automation and Professional Engineer in Alberta. He will be based in Yokogawa Canada’s headquarters in Calgary, Alberta.
