Appliance industry veteran Kevin Dexter, who helped make Samsung a force in the U.S. appliance market, has been handed the keys to Haier/GE Appliance’s luxury brand portfolio.
Formerly COO of the now defunct Haier America, Dexter was named president of Fisher & Paykel North America and Monogram, a new position.
He reports to Laurence Mawhinney, sales and customer experience executive VP for the Haier-owned and New Zealand-based Fisher & Paykel, and to Rick Hasselbeck, chief commercial officer at GE Appliances.
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In his new role, Dexter “will help accelerate product innovation, promote operational excellence and focus on the desires of ultra-premium appliance owners,” the company said.
“I can’t think of anyone more passionate, more experienced or more qualified to further the market leadership of these premium brands and give luxury owners nothing but the very best in their appliances,” noted Mawhinney.
Hasselbeck said the decision to cross company lines and bring the two ultra-premium brands together within a single business unit should yield “even more advancements and more features to make [owners’] everyday lives easier.”
During his tenure at Haier America, Dexter honchoed R&D, manufacturing, logistics, IT, operations and service.
Haier America was folded into GE Appliances following its acquisition last year by corporate parent Qingdao Haier.
Prior to that he brought focus to Samsung’s push into the U.S. majap market as senior VP of home appliance sales and marketing, where he led the introduction of the company’s premium Chef Collection series and was an early advocate of smart appliances.
Dexter made his appliance bones at Electrolux, where he held various posts.
