María Fernanda Souto taking the lead of new Group Strategy Function in Danfoss

Thursday, June 24, 2021

As of August 1, Maria Fernanda Souto will join Danfoss to head the new Group Strategy Function. Together with a new, incoming strategy team, she will assist the leadership team in developing and tracking the strategy of Danfoss. Maria comes from a position as Group Vice President Head of Strategy in Kongsberg Gruppen in Norway and 11 years as associate partner in McKinsey & Company.

Increased global focus on energy efficiency and electrification as part of the green transition creates new opportunities for Danfoss. That is the key reason for establishing a new Group Strategy Function in Danfoss as of August 1, 2021.

It will be headed by María Fernanda Souto, who will join Danfoss as Senior Vice President at the same time. María Fernanda Souto María will report to Kim Fausing.

“The new function will play a key role in helping to track and review our strategic priorities as we move forward with our transformation and it is with great pleasure that I welcome María to the team. Her global mindset and vast experience of various industries will be a great asset to Danfoss, supporting our position as a leading supplier of sustainable energy-saving solutions that enables the green transition towards lower CO2 emissions and more electrification,” says Kim Fausing, President & CEO in Danfoss.

María Fernanda Souto will relocate to Denmark from Norway with her husband and three children and will work from the Danfoss Headquarters in Denmark.

“I’m excited about joining Danfoss at this fantastic time in the company’s history. I am looking forward to working across this global organization with my new team to assist the leadership team in developing and tracking the strategy, driving the growth supported by the strong tailwinds of electrification, digitalization, and the green transition.”

María Fernanda Souto comes from a position as Group Vice President Head of Strategy in Kongsberg Gruppen in Norway, where she has been responsible for the annual corporate strategy process across the business areas Aerospace & Defense, Maritime, and Digital. Before that, she was a partner in QVARTZ Management Consulting, in Oslo from 2015-2019 and Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company from 2004-2015, based in Norway, Mexico and the Netherlands. She holds a Ph.D. of Natural Sciences from the University of Vienna, and a Master of Chemistry from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

More information:
Danfoss Media Relations
Head of Communication Kasper Elbjørn
Tlf.: +45 26 13 70 01

Engineering the world of Tomorrow

Danfoss engineers advanced technologies that enable us to build a better, smarter and more efficient tomorrow. In the world’s growing cities, we ensure the supply of fresh food and optimal comfort in our homes and offices, while meeting the need for energy-efficient infrastructure, connected systems and integrated renewable energy.

Our solutions are used in areas such as refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, motor control and mobile machinery.

Our innovative engineering dates back to 1933 and today Danfoss holds market-leading positions, employing 28,000 and serving customers in more than 100 countries. We are privately held by the founding family.