Signify’s Genlyte Solutions and AD’s Independent Electric Supply Division (IESD) both announced new president’s last week.
Christy Tilton New President at Genlyte, Kevin Poyck to Retire
According to Signify’s press release:
“Kevin Poyck, President, Genlyte, Color Kinetics (CK) and Entertainment Business Unit, has made the decision to retire from Signify, as of May 1, 2026. Christy Tilton will be appointed as President of Genlyte Solutions, while Sameer Sodhi will continue to lead the global Color Kinetics and Entertainment businesses.
Kevin joined the company in 2019, bringing extensive leadership experience across industries and disciplines. In his time with Signify, he has focused on driving commercial excellence and competitive service in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. Kevin’s leadership was instrumental in establishing Genlyte Solutions, as an integrated, end-to-end professional business. He guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, advancing employee engagement and building a culture of inclusion. Kevin also represented Signify on the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Board of Directors.
“I would like to thank Kevin for the important role he has played in the Americas. He guided the organization through challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic, with resilience and dedication, while building employee engagement and a deep commitment to our customers. I am confident that our strong leadership team will continue to advance our business in the region. I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.” – As Tempelman, CEO, Signify”
Prior to joining Signify, Kevin spent a little more than 14 years with Hubbell Lighting where I first met him. I had the pleasure of supporting Hubbell Lighting with presentations at a few of their sales meetings and in support of some of their marketing efforts. When he moved to Signify, many commented that “finally” Signify US had a leader who understood the US lighting market, which is significantly different than Europe and Asia.
Christy’s promotion helps ensure that continuity and brings a field level sales perspective. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with Christy at NAED meetings, NEMRA meetings, and as a member of the NEMRA Strategic Advisory Council.
Based upon the press release, no one is currently appointed to replace Christy’s sales leadership role. I reached out to Beth Brenner who shared that “Jhawn Newman, who leads Systems & Services for Genlyte Solutions, will report to Christy and support her in the operational areas. This way, she can continue to focus on sales and commercial activities.”
Given this, and conversations about the attributes, roles, and benefits of strong regional management, this could be very good for Signify, its reps, and distributors as, with the increased responsibility and the need to be involved in more diverse elements of the business it could mean regional VPs will become more empowered (hopefully!) I know she has heard that a strong, empowered RVP, with essentially P&L responsibility, is a differentiator between manufacturers and shows up in their sales performance, and company performance.
Larry Rodger, President of ELA + Synergy, a Genlyte rep, commented” Genlyte is gaining an exceptional president in Christy Tilton. Christy has always demonstrated her commitment to the full construction ecosystem, from design through construction and distribution, and she drives decisions forward with those perspectives in mind. Christy has also consistently championed the agencies that represent the Genlyte brand across the country. Her investment in companies like ours has created more opportunities to serve our customers at a higher level, and we enter this next chapter as a Genlyte representative with tremendous excitement.”
Jim Johnson, President of NEMRA, shared “Kevin, thank you for the strong support you and your team have provided to NEMRA and our community. We sincerely appreciate the partnership and wish you all the best in your retirement.
Christy, congratulations on this exciting new role. It has truly been a pleasure working with you over the years. Thank you for your engagement, involvement, and advocacy for NEMRA through your participation on the NMG Executive Committee, Strategic Advisory Council, and Board of Directors. Although your formal roles have changed, your consistent and continued support of NEMRA and the representative community is deeply valued, and I look forward to continuing our work together in this next chapter.”
Congratulations Christy and enjoy the next stage, Kevin.
Chris Marlow to Succeed Karen Baker as President AD IESD
AD announced that, effective May 1st, Chris Marlow will succeed Karen Baker as AD’s IESD President. Chris has been ABB’s SVP Sales for the US and LATAM for the past year, led Channel for ABB previously, and was in the wire business for the prior 22 years with Cerro and Southwire.
According to the AD press release,
“Chris Marlow will join the company as President of its Independent Electrical Supply Division (IESD), effective May 1, 2026.
Marlow brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the electrical industry and is widely known for his passion for independent distributors and commitment to servant leadership.
In his new role, Marlow will lead the division and work in close partnership with AD leadership, the IESD Board, and AD’s member and supplier partners. His focus will include strengthening engagement across the division and advancing strategies that help AD members compete and win in an increasingly dynamic marketplace. Marlow will also engage key stakeholders across the electrical industry while building upon IESD’s strong legacy and proven track record of success.
Marlow will succeed Karen Baker, who announced her retirement earlier this year. AD is grateful for Karen’s exceptional leadership and dedicated service, during which she helped grow the division and position IESD for continued success.
“Chris is a highly regarded and respected leader within the electrical segment. His industry experience, market insights, and commitment serving independent distributors will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Fernandez. “I am looking forward to partnering with him and our Divisional Board to build the next chapter in IESD’s future.”
Marlow shared his excitement about joining AD.
“Throughout my career, I have had the great pleasure of working for several outstanding manufacturers alongside the best distributors in the business,” said Marlow. “I have a passion for people, relationships, and growing together in this remarkable industry. I am honored to be joining AD and to be leading their largest division. I look forward to working closely with our best-in-class independent distributors, supplier partners, and the incredible team of AD associates. What a wonderful time it is to be in the electrical industry.”
Bill Devereaux, President of Electris360, observed “Chris’s prior roles have given him a strong foundation across both “shelf” manufacturers and commodity-driven businesses. That perspective should enable him to make balanced, commercially sound decisions that benefit all stakeholders.
He has also been a consistent advocate for the outsourced sales model and clearly understands the value we (reps) bring to the market.”
Jim Johnson, President of NEMRA, shared “Congratulations, Chris, on this exciting next step. It’s been a privilege to work with you through the NEMRA Strategic Advisory Council, where you’ve consistently brought insight, collaboration, and forward-thinking leadership to our community. AD is gaining a strong leader at an exciting time for the electrical channel.”
Chris’ broad experience in working wire (commodity) and engineered products (ABB) coupled with extensive interactions with national chains, independent distributors, independent manufacturer representatives, industry associations, contractors, and EPCs while having interactions with other suppliers makes him a unique, high profile, individual for this role. There are few of his “new bosses” that he probably does not know and is a strong advocate for independent electrical distributors. As a member of the NEMRA SAC I’ve observed that he is a creative thinker, willing to explore “what’s next” which, given the state of the industry and the challenges / opportunities that independents will face over the next five years, will be an asset to AD.
Congratulations Chris, and congratulations Karen on your retirement.
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