Universal Names Erik van de Ven General Manager, Southeast Asia

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Universal Instruments is pleased to announce the appointment of Erik van de Ven as General Manager, Southeast Asia. Based in Penang, Malaysia, van de Ven will be responsible for all aspects of the regional operation, including sales, customer support and finance. He will work together with Universal’s network of area channel partners to provide dedicated attentiveness to existing customers, while driving an increase in target customer engagements and market share growth.

With 30 years of experience in international commercial functions in the capital equipment business, van de Ven brings a history of building long-term relationships and a strong technical aptitude to his new position. He has spent the last 20+ years of his career in the electronics assembly sector working for Assembléon, with customer-facing leadership positions in the Netherlands, the United States, and the most recent 8 years as Senior Director: Sales, Marketing, and Business Support Asia, based in Hong Kong.

“We are excited to have Erik as part of our area management team,” said Universal Vice President of Customer Operations, Brad Bennett. “He has enjoyed a versatile and very successful career in our industry, with many accomplishments across a multi-regional, multi-cultural variety of positions. I know he will be a strong contributor not only for our SEA business, but also for our broader sales and customer support initiatives.”

Van de Ven noted that the new position is an opportunity that is “perfectly aligned to my career path and experience.” He went on to explain, “Universal is an industry pioneer with a portfolio that has grown formidably to meet the moving targets of our markets. I look forward to offering these solutions and leveraging the familiarity gained during my considerable time in Asia to best meet the challenges of the local customer base.”