XPV Water Partners Recruits Top Industry Expert to Portfolio Company Boards

As a 20-year CEO of global industrial and service businesses at General Electric and SUEZ, Heiner Markhoff has engineered impressive business growth strategies, inspired innovative products and services, and delivered operational improvements to improve bottom line results.

Recently, the industry veteran began to delve further into his growing interest in cutting-edge water solutions. With his experience building and leading high-impact teams on five continents, not to mention providing essential leadership during several acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures, Markhoff planned to put his skills into practice in support of the next generation of leading companies. 

Finding the right match

Over the last decade, Markhoff had enjoyed regular exchanges with David Henderson and Khalil Maalouf of XPV Water Partners. “We often spoke about industry trends and what we could do to make this industry more efficient,” says Markhoff. “David and Khalil have a great vision for the future of the sector. I always left those conversations feeling inspired.”

Spending time and diving deeper into business strategy with the broader XPV Water Partners team convinced Markhoff that he could make a significant difference for their portfolio companies.

“XPV Water Partners has taken an admirable approach cultivating its portfolio,” Markhoff says. “Each company has a clearly defined value proposition, industry-leading solutions, and a strategic growth path. To have XPV stand behind them gives them an added layer of credibility, something that is necessary in an industry that is traditionally slow to adopt new technologies.”

Bringing valuable business expertise to the table

Ultimately, Markhoff saw a good fit with two XPV portfolio companies. He decided to support the growth of: global microbial monitoring and solutions leader LuminUltra, and pipeline rectifier monitoring and data analytics pioneer Mobiltex. In 2019, he joined the Board of Directors of both companies.

Having previously led two organizations that successfully partnered with LuminUltra, Markhoff says he has seen firsthand the high quality of the company’s offerings and the capabilities of its team. “With the benefit of having a closer look into the company’s strategy, I was excited to get directly involved in supporting its vision to completely reshape industry approaches for microbiological testing and control.”

Markhoff was also impressed by Mobiltex. “Remote data collection combined with advanced AI machine-learning capabilities are driving efficiency and extending infrastructure asset life across many market sectors,” says Markhoff.  “When you combine the leadership position of Mobiltex and the ecosystem of expertise that XPV Water Partners bring to the table, it takes the company to a whole new level of excellence.”

While the two companies are solving different challenges, they both offer smart, IoT-focused solutions, which Markhoff finds attractive. “Technology that allows its users to make better-informed decisions is the way of the future for this industry,” he says. “For me, these companies are a fantastic match with my interests.”

For LuminUltra and Mobiltex, the addition of Markhoff to their boards is a huge win.

“The addition of Heiner to our board further enhances the guidance and strategic insights that our management team can leverage. Heiner’s business acquisition and international market experience is critical as we continue to expand our microbiological control solutions portfolio and geographic footprint,” says LuminUltra President and CEO Pat Whalen.

Mobiltex CEO Marc Bracken echoes Whalen. “Heiner’s diverse leadership experience and track record of building leading smart infrastructure platforms is a great asset to our management team.”

Both Whalen and Bracken agree that support from the XPV Water Partners ecosystem continues to propel their companies forward. “With XPV, our access to industry expertise is unparalleled,” says Bracken. “We know that Heiner is on board with our vision, and his advice has already brought new and exciting perspectives to our business.”