Ali Group North America Announces Rebrand

Ali Group North America announced on Monday, March 11, that it will now operate under the Welbilt name.

“This strategic move leverages Welbilt’s strong brand reputation, significant market presence, comprehensive customer solutions and well-established relationships particularly within the QSR sector, with the goal of offering the most complete turnkey solutions package in the industry,” says Filippo Berti, chairman and CEO of Ali Group, in a release.

The corporate executives of the newly formed North American group will be: Berti, as chairman and CEO; Bradford Willis, CFO; Rob August, executive vice president (with a focus on sales and distribution); and Tom Hotard, executive vice president (with a focus on operations and engineering). Current Welbilt CEO Kevin Clark will join the Board of Directors of the North American group, says a release, and will focus on special projects like those that will facilitate the integration of Ali Group North American companies into Welbilt.

The company also introduced new group president roles “to ensure a seamless transition and continued leadership.” The group presidents (pictured below) are: Nate Jackson, Will Means, Erica Motes and Oscar Villa, all of whom will support the corporate executives in overseeing the numerous companies.

Further, the Welbilt logo has been redesigned “to reflect a fusion of both companies’ cultures,” notes the release.

“This integration represents not just a merging of products and services, but a unification of our teams’ talents, expertise and vision,” Berti says. “It is a significant step towards strengthening our market position and delivering unparalleled value to our customers, setting a new standard in the industry and ensuring our continued growth and leadership.”

Ali Group companies outside of North America are not affected by the rebrand.

Nommsen To Shift Focus Abroad

Erik Nommsen

In step with the rebranding news, Ali Group announced that Erik Nommsen, CEO of Ali Group North America since 2022, will step into a new role on Aug. 31, 2024, as CEO for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) regions of Ali Group.

“Erik’s leadership has spanned a number of areas, including finance and manufacturing, demonstrating his expertise and commitment to excellence,” Berti says. “His contributions have been instrumental in steering our companies towards sustained growth and operational excellence.”

Nommsen joined Champion Industries in 2008, where he served as president for six years. After two years in another industry, he returned to Champion in 2016 as president. In 2017, he became president of the Ali Group North America – Refrigeration Division. From 2019 to 2023, he also served as president of Scotsman Ice Systems.

Andrea Cocchi, an Ali Group employee since 1998, has served as CEO for the EMEA/APAC region since 2019.