The AEREON leadership team has more than 200 years of combined industry experience. They stand united in their commitment to putting our customers first and working proactively to help them understand and adapt to the changing oil and gas environment.
AEREON CEO and Board member Saeid Rahimian is responsible for the strategic direction and execution of the company’s growth initiatives and profitability. Prior to joining AEREON, he served as president and CEO of Gardner Denver Energy Group, a portfolio company of KKR & Co., where he oversaw four enterprises with a combined annual revenue of $1.1 billion from the sale of hydraulic fracturing and drilling pumps, loading systems, flare gas and vapor recovery systems. Before joining Gardner Denver, Saeid spent 30 years at Robbins and Myers, Inc. (which was acquired by National Oilwell Varco in March 2013) in various leadership roles, including president of the company’s energy group and corporate senior vice president. Saeid earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Evansville in Indiana, a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is the past chairman of the Petroleum Equipment and Services Association.
Gene Sparkman most recently served as Vice President of International Sales for Gardner Denver Energy Group. In this role, he developed successful strategies for growing the customer base and expanding international presence in key markets for the Petroleum Pumps business unit. Gene comes to Aereon with more than thirty-five years of global sales, marketing, and channel management experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to Gardner Denver, Gene had worked in various senior marketing and sales positions at Robbins & Meyers, Lufkin Industries, and Trico Industries.
Mark brings a wealth of international experience to Aereon, having lived and worked in the UK, Europe and the USA. His background encompasses manufacturing, operations, sales, service, and P&L management across the Automotive, Industrial, and Oil and Gas sectors. In his previous role with Gardner Denver, a KKR portfolio company, he led the transformation of the Nash Aftermarket business. Mark has also held leadership roles with Cargotec, Jungheinrich, Caterpillar, Delphi, Unipart and Eaton.
Michael Browne, leads the Engineering Team which is responsible for developing, selecting and designing the best products to meet our customer’s needs. Mike brings a unique perspective to Aereon as he spent the early portion of his career in Operations with Chevron where he dealt with challenges similar to what our customers face. Mike gained his production equipment experience at NATCO, where he served as the VP of Engineering, and was a key contributor to the company’s growth. In addition, Mike has held other leadership roles at Curtiss-Wright, ProSep, Cameron, and Schlumberger prior to joining Aereon. Mike earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA.
Kevin Gerland serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Kevin comes to Aereon building on an impressive record of accounting and control leadership most recently at Lone Star Overnight Logistics, with prior experience at Rignet, Schlumberger and Ernst &Young. Kevin is a Certified Public Accountant, earned a BBA of Accounting from Texas A & M and he attended Wharton School of Business as part of an executive management development program in Advanced Finance.
Scott Thompson is responsible for managing all of the company’s HR functions worldwide, applying a broad range of skills that he mastered at companies such as Independence Contract Drilling, Noble Energy, NATCO Group and Schlumberger. In addition to his HR expertise, Scott served in general management and operations at Carbo Ceramics and Schlumberger. Scott received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University.
Ihab leads the company’s sales, business development, and distribution activities in the eastern hemisphere, including the Middle East, Asia, Northern Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (or CIS, formerly known as the Soviet Union). Prior to joining AEREON in 1998, his career included several years in oil and gas engineering and sales. Ihab received his undergraduate degree and his Master of Chemical Engineering degree from Jordan University of Science & Technology in Irbid, Jordan.
Francesco is responsible for managing AEREON’s engineering, sales and service capabilities in our European, African, and Middle East markets. He joined Jordan Technologies in 2005 as an engineer and, in 2010, became the managing director of its European Operations Centre in Milan, Italy. Francesco earned his master’s degree in chemical engineering from Italy’s University of Pisa.