The European Federation of Catering Equipment Manufacturers (EFCEM), has announced that Iain Munro will stand down as Secretary General at the end of this year. Munro, who has held the position since June 2023, is retiring from the industry.
The announcement was made following EFCEM’s National Associations of Producers (NAP) Committee Meeting on 16 October 2025, held at the EFCEM Italia Offices in Milan, Italy, immediately prior to the HostMilano 2025 show. Joakim Granfors, previously a Vice President of EFCEM between 2023-25, and formerly VP R&D Innovation at Angelo Po, will take over as Secretary General in the New Year.
Martin Ubl, President of the Federation, praised Munro’s commitment to EFCEM and his distinguished service to the foodservice equipment industry for the best part of five decades. “Iain is entering a well-deserved retirement after 47 years in the industry,” said Ubl. “That’s 10 years in food and beverage management in the hotel sector, followed by 37 years in the foodservice equipment industry. Iain was also a board member and past chair of CEDA for 10 years, and a council member of the UK’s Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) for six years and chair of the FEA Cooking & Warming Committee,” he added.
“EFCEM is very grateful to him for almost three years of dedicated work with us. He laid the foundations for further development, and he took EFCEM’s organisation to a new level in terms of structure, administration, and content. He has helped us to reform our communication and organisation, and his great experience, expertise, and leadership skills were key to EFCEM being well-positioned for the coming years.”
Munro (pictured right) said of his impending retirement: “It’s been a remarkable journey filled with innovation, collaboration, and, most importantly, friendships and connections made along the way. I wish all my past colleagues, industry friends, and partners every success for the future – it’s been a real privilege sharing this journey with you.”
At the heart of the industry
Munro also praised his successor, Granfors, whom he said “will continue to strengthen EFCEM’s role at the heart of our industry”. Ubl echoed that sentiment: “We are very pleased to have found the perfect man for the job in Joakim. He has decades of experience in the industry and knows EFCEM well from years of work on its management board. He is very strong in terms of leadership and organisation.
Granfors will take office in January, following a full handover with Munro. “These are very good conditions for the further positive development of EFCEM,” said Granfors, who added that he will focus on “monitoring and actively influencing evolving European and global regulations to advance EFCEM members’ interests” in his role.
“EFCEM will demonstrate strong industry leadership by engaging new members across Europe, ensuring its voice authentically represents the European catering equipment sector. We will continue to champion digitalization and smart equipment innovation for the benefit of manufacturers and end-customers. These are strong issues for us,” he added.
Challenges, trends, and opportunities
As well as hosting its National Associations of Producers (NAP) Committee Meeting, EFCEM also held its Extraordinary General Assembly meeting during HostMilano, plus a hugely successful Global Exchange meeting, at which senior leaders of NAFEM, NAFES, FCSI, and CFESA discussed global foodservice equipment trends.
Board members of EFCEM also took part in several interviews with industry media at the show. These included Ubl joining 1473 Media’s Michael Jones on the FCSI Europe, Africa, Middle East (EAME) booth for a live, on-stage interview addressing the challenges and opportunities for the European foodservice equipment sector. The full interview can be viewed here.
Further details:
The European Federation of Catering Equipment Manufacturers (EFCEM) represents manufacturers of commercial kitchen equipment. The Federation was founded in 1969 and includes the key European National Associations and its members. EFCEM is the only commercial kitchen equipment group represented in Brussels by Orgalim, the highly respected voice of the Europe’s technology industries.
For more information visit efcem.info.
Please contact: sec.gen@EFCEM2024.onmicrosoft.com
