UFI Filters appoints new Sales and Marketing Aftermarket EMEA Director

Nogarole Rocca, 11 November 2020 – UFI Filters, a leader in filtration and thermal management, announces the appointment of Onofrio Defina as head of the European, Middle Eastern and African Aftermarket.

Following the new corporate strategy designed to meet the evolution and challenges of the global market, UFI Filters Group has decided to give greater autonomy to its regions in the world, assigning the responsibility of the Aftermarket management to the individual COO – Chief Operating Officer – of each of the following regions: EMEA, APAC, INDIA and AMERICAS.

Onofrio Defina, already Chief Operating Officer EMEA, has been appointed Sales & Marketing Aftermarket EMEA Director of UFI Filters, starting from 1^st October 2020. He takes over this responsibility from Luca Betti, who has been holding the reins of the UFI Filters Group's Aftermarket for the past five years.

Defina boasts many years of experience working for top international brands in the automotive sector. He joined UFI in 2015 as Purchasing Director and progressed within the Group holding to the position of General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, before his recent appointment as Head of the EMEA Aftermarket.

Defina takes the lead of a solid and cohesive sales and marketing team, which has made UFI Filters one of the main players in the Aftermarket. His main purpose will be to maintain and strengthen UFI Filters’ presence in the Italian market as well as increasing its market share in EMEA.

Rinaldo Facchini, UFI Filters Group CEO says: “The new challenges of the market and the great changes underway in recent months have confronted us with the need for new strategies. In this global to glocal perspective, the individual areas EMEA, APAC, INDIA and AMERICAS will have greater independence of action in order to ensure an increasing emphasis on customer needs, a better service and to be more focused on the relevant market.”

“Promoting Onofrio to this new role is a sign of the great amount of trust which we place in him. This promotion caps off a terrific year, which also saw him honoured with the prestigious ‘Rising Stars 2020’ award, by the renowned magazine 'Automotive News Europe'. The award is given to the most promising talents in various automotive sectors”.

Onofrio Defina, COO and Sales & Marketing Aftermarket EMEA Director UFI Filters comments: “I am honoured with the assignment of this new responsibility, which I will carry out with the support of a professional and well-established team. Together, we will be able to achieve new business goals, while strengthening our presence and expanding into new markets”.