Committees
Steering Committee
T. Bruce MacKinnon Biography
T. Bruce MacKinnon is president and CEO of Elevator World, Inc., the globally recognized publisher serving the vertical-transportation industry, and a third-generation owner of the family business. A lifelong resident of Mobile, Alabama, MacKinnon comes from a long line of entrepreneurs who built small, successful family-owned companies in the region.
MacKinnon has spent more than 30 years with Elevator World, helping guide the company’s growth into a leading global media and information platform for the elevator and escalator industry. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its international reach through global publications, strategic partnerships and industry events, with offices and collaborations spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other regions. His work has taken him extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America, strengthening Elevator World’s role as the industry’s primary source of information, education and connection worldwide.
Marco Waagmeester Biography
Marco graduated from Business Administration at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and started his career as a marketing & sales manager at Avis Autoverhuur B.V. After a few years he became the Commercial Director of the Benelux for Nestlé Waters Direct. One of his results was the introduction of Nestlé Aquarel, the replacement of their own water brand, involving all commercial and operational actions concerning the introduction. After this success he decided to leave the country for a world trip for almost a year. Upon his return he was employed at Vitae as a regional director. Vitae is active in recruitment and in outsourcing interim professionals. He started his career at Liftinstituut Holding B.V. as Director Business Unit Inspections and as of October 2015 he is managing director of Lifinstituut Holding B.V. He is married and has two children.
Bülent Yılmaz Biography
Bülent Yılmaz was born in 1978 in Elazığ, Turkey. He served in Turkish Army for 15 years. He has a masters's degree in international economics. He started worked with Elevator World, Inc. as managing director of Turkey Office in 2014, was also appointed Elevator World Europe and Elevator World Middle East Managing Director. He is currently working at Elevator World, Inc.'s Istanbul Office as Regional Director of Company and MENA representatives of AFAG Messen und Ausstellungen GmbH from Germany.
Marjon Oosting Biography
Marjon Oosting her first big wins were in the equestrian sports, being a National champion in dressage and working at the stable of the 10 fold World Champion Anky van Grunsven. After this Marjon started writing her thesis at Nike HQ to fulfill her study Business Administration at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. During her study, Marjon joined exchange programs in Portland (OR), USA and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She started her professional career at design agency Design Bridge. She joined Liftinstituut Holding B.V. in 2008 and is now responsible for all Liftinstituut’s business units marketing activities. One of her latest wins was introducing Liftinstituut’s new logo and branding. Another annual event which Marjon’s team is responsible for is the Safety Awareness Week (www.saw.org) in which the initiative of EESF in ‘Creating awareness for safe use of escalators and elevators’ is expanded.
Technical Committee
Abhijit Dandekar Biography
An electronics engineer with post-graduation in Marketing management, Abhijit is working as Director – Codes & Standards (APAC) at Otis’ Asia Pacific RHQ. With almost 38 years of experience at Otis, Abhijit 's expertise spans across various functions including OTIS’ R&D department, Field Engineering, Training, Quality, Product Safety, Lean Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Codes. Responsible for product and process Quality thus increasing reliability & customer satisfaction along with Product Safety enhancements are the key objectives. He is currently the President of Pacific Asia Lift & Escalator Association (PALEA), Singapore with an objective to harmonize the codes and standards across Asia Pacific & China.
Member of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) technical committee TC 178 (and its 9 workgroups viz. WG4, WG4/TFRA, WG4/TFD, WG6, WG6/SC6, WG10, WG11, WG12 & WG13), CEN TC10 and WG1 Liaison Member, World Elevator & Escalator Federation (WEEF) and WEEF-GTAG. He represented India delegation from Bureau of Indian Standards in past eight ISO TC178 Plenary meetings held at Russia, USA, South Africa, Australia, India, Germany, France & China. A member of ETD25 (P4 panel) Elevator and Escalator Code Committee of Bureau of Indian Standards, he has been liaising with Government authorities for consultation on “amendments to local elevator codes” for Maharashtra and Gujarat states. Also, a member of CED46 (P16 panel) responsible for drafting National Building Construction Standard of India.
President of Pacific Asia Lift & Escalator Association (PALEA), Singapore since 2025.
Antonio Pérez Ruiz Biography
Antonio Pérez Ruiz is the CEO of IMEM Lifts, one of Europe's leading independent lift manufacturers.Representing the second generation of the family-owned company founded by his father in 1968, he has been actively involved in the business since its early years and has led the company for more than five decades with a strong commitment to innovation, quality, and international growth. Under his leadership, IMEM has expanded its global presence, exporting to more than 70 countries and becoming a recognized supplier of lift solutions for residential, commercial, and landmark projects worldwide.
Beyond his role at IMEM, Antonio Pérez is a prominent figure in the Spanish and European lift industry. He serves as President of FEEDA (Spanish Business Federation of Elevators), representing the interests of the Spanish lift sector and promoting safety, modernization, sustainability, and technological development throughout the industry. He is also a member of the Council of the European Lift Association (ELA), where he represents FEEDA and contributes to discussions on European legislation, standards, and industry policies.
In addition, he is President of ACEA (Cantabrian Association of Elevator Companies) and has been actively involved in various business and industry organizations, fostering collaboration between manufacturers, installers, maintenance companies, and regulatory stakeholders. His long-standing dedication to the lift sector has earned him recognition for his entrepreneurial career and his contribution to the growth and international reputation of the Spanish elevator industry. He also actively participates as Vice-President of CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organization) in Cantabria.
As a member of the IEES Symposium Technical Committee, Antonio brings extensive expertise in lift technology, industry strategy, international markets, and sector representation, contributing valuable insight to the advancement of elevator safety, innovation, and standards worldwide.
Chee Yao Hui Biography
Chee Yao Hui is Deputy Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Group at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore, where he oversees regulatory functions for lifts, escalators, and amusement rides. He has extensive experience in design reviews and safety investigations involving vertical transportation and amusement ride systems, and has contributed to safety committees in the field.
Chee represents Singapore on ISO TC 178, the international standards body responsible for lifts, escalators, and moving walks, and serves as Co-Convenor of TCWG2 for the development of Singapore Standards SS550 and SS626. He is also Convenor of the Code of Practice for Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics Solutions.
He holds a Master of Science in Lift Engineering from the University of Northampton.
Donald Gelestino Biography
With 38 years in the elevator industry, Donald Gelestino has built a career defined by leadership, service, and philanthropy. Starting as a helper in 1986, he rose to found Ver-Tech Elevator Co. and later Champion Elevator, which now services over 6,000 elevators. Donald’s dedication extends beyond business — he's an active supporter of causes like the Maurer Foundation, SUNY Old Westbury, and Tomorrow’s Hope. A past NAEC President and William C. Sturgeon Award recipient, Donald’s impact combines technical expertise with a deep commitment to giving back, ensuring his legacy continues to inspire both industry peers and his community.
Eric W. McClaskey Biography
Eric McClaskey is the Director of Safety for the International Union of Elevator Constructors, where he leads safety efforts for 32,000 members across North America.
Before assuming this role in 2024, Eric served as Director of Codes & Standards, where he helped advance engineered solutions that strengthened safety for elevator personnel and the riding public.
With more than 30 years of experience in the elevator industry, as journeyman mechanic and safety leader, Eric brings deep expertise to safety, codes, and standards across multiple sectors. He is a Qualified Elevator Inspector, OSHA Outreach Trainer, and Certified Safety Professional. Eric serves on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A17.1 Standards Committee, as well as its Electrical and Earthquake Safety Committees. He is also a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Working Group 12 on Cybersecurity and Working Group 13 on New Technologies.
Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and is a licensed landscape contractor. Outside of work, he enjoys winemaking, snowboarding, and wakeboarding.
John van Vliet Biography
John has a technical background. He graduated for his Bachelor’s Degree from the HTS Rijswijk in Telecommunications. He started his career as a Technical commercial employee at Hestel Electronica in De Bilt. After a year he made the step to Liftinstituut where he started as an inspector of lifts and escalators. Since then he has fulfilled several functions within Liftinstituut such as manager business development. In 2012 he became Technical Director for Liftinstituut Holding B.V. Since October 2015 he is Managing Director for Liftinstituut B.V. He has a wife and two children.
John W. Koshak Biography
John W. Koshak is head and founder of Elevator Safety Solutions, Inc., and a member of Elevator World, Inc.’s Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Group. Directly prior to reactivating the company in September 2008, Koshak served as director of Codes and Standards for North America for thyssenkrupp Elevator. He was formerly in research at thyssenkrupp Research, Innovation and Design. Koshak got his start in the industry in 1980 at Westinghouse Elevator Co. and has worked for Dover Elevator, Amtech Elevator and Adams Elevator Equipment Co., where he was vice president of Technical Support. He was a National Elevator Industry Educational Program instructor from 1982 to 1991, designed the LifeJacket hydraulic-elevator safety and holds several patents for elevator-component designs. Koshak is a member of the ASME A17 Standards Committee and a past chairman of the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation.
Krishna Kumar Ravi Biography
Krishna Kumar Ravi (KK) is a Mechanical Engineer With 27+ Years in the VHT domain. KK joined OTIS as a Graduate engineer trainee and later Mitsubishi Elevators. He joined PVN Associates (Since rebranded PAPL Corp) in the year 2009 as a Partner. KK is currently the President and CEO of PAPL Corp Pvt. Ltd., one of the largest and leading vertical transportation planning, engineering and inspection companies in India with operations in Middle East, Singapore and USA. He is Passionate & committed to growing and transforming PAPL Corp by providing Best in class customer service, engaging and motivating colleagues and generating positive top-line and bottom-line business results.
Paolo Tattoli Biography
Mr. Paolo Tattoli is graduated in mechanical engineering; he was President of the Lift Committee of UNI (Italian Organization for Standardisation) from 2009 to early 2024.
He is member as expert of the Sectoral Accreditation Committee for Regulamented Activities of Accredia, the sole Italian national accreditation body attesting the competence and impartiality of certification, inspection, validation and verification bodies.
He is one of the Italian delegates at CEN/TC10/WG1 (Lifts, service lifts), and as Coordinator of CEN/TC10/WG1/WT5 he was involved in the preparation of EN81-77 (Lifts subject to seismic condition).
Currently he is Convenor of CEN/TC 10/WG 07, responsible for EN 81-70 (Accessibility to lifts for persons including persons with disability), and of CEN/TC 10/WG 08 responsible for EN 81-40 (Stairlifts and inclined lifting platform) and EN 81-41 (Vertical lifting platforms with not enclosed carrier). He is also Convenor of CEN/TC 10/WG 13 responsible for EN 81-42 (Vertical Lifting Appliances with enclosed carrier), EN 81-30 (Service lifts) and EN 81-31 (Accessible goods only lift).
In addition, Mr. Tattoli has served for many years as a technical expert for EFESME, the European Federation for the Protection of SMEs in the Lift Industry, as well as for Small Business Standards (SBS), the European association dedicated to representing and supporting SMEs in European and international standardisation.
Richard Sayah Biography
Rick is a vertical transportation (VT) professional with more than 25 years in the industry with a Bachelor degree of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ in 1999.
Rick began his journey in the VT industry with VDA as an intern in 1997, joining full time in 1999. VDA is a global leader in VT Consulting Services with more than 40 years of experience with more than 160 Elevator Professional, located throughout 38 Branches around the United States (www.vdassoc.com).
Rick has successfully delivered services for projects of all shapes and sizes all around the world. From office buildings, such as One Vanderbilt in New York City; international airports in Mumbai, India and Abu Dhabi, UAE; hospitality projects such as The Borgata and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut; and a wide variety of museum, medical centers, residential towers, and mixed-use projects. Rick heads up the design and engineering services group, providing services to Clients and projects nationally and globally.
Robert Kaspersma Biography
Robert Kaspersma is currently Senior Manager Certification in KONE Corporation. And has over 30 years of experience in the certification of lifts and machines of which 24 years working with Liftinstituut as a Senior Specialist Certification. He holds a Bachelor degree in Applied Physics. He is a certified Functional Safety Engineer, Hardware and Software Design, by TÜV Rheinland, and has completed a Post-graduate Study on Occupational Health and Safety Engineering. He is a member of CEN TC10/WG1, CEN TC10/WG4 and CEN TC10/WG11. He is the Chair of the CSA B44.11 / UL 104 committee, the Vice Chair of New Technology Committee ASME A17.7 / CSA B44.7 and, the Vice Chair of Mechanical Design Committee ASME A17.1. Furthermore, he holds memberships for the committee CSA B44.10 / ASME A17.10 for type testing of escalator braking means and, the committee for CSA B44.9 / ASME A17.9 on type testing of buffers.
Serdar Tavaslıoğlu Biography
Tavaslıoglu graduated from the Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Industrial Electricity and Motor Control in 1980. He joined the industry as a cofounder at Astaş A.Ş. He worked as installer and engineer regarding the lifts. Working in the Lift Commission of the Izmir Branch of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO), Tavaslıoglu worked as Technical Manager, Quality Management System and Technical Consultant as part of the Lift Directive and Machine Safety Directive at SERKON Danışmanlık Ltd. Şti., which he founded, after 1996. During this duty, he participated in the preparation and form-writing of lift controls and control criteria at EMO and MMO Izmir Branches Joint Lift Commission. He worked as a de facto control officer for a long time in the lift control works carried out by this commission in Izmir. He participated in the training activities and establishment of laboratories of the Chambers of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He made an effort to popularize training studies carried out in various cities on lift controls. He also strived to ensure that courses on lifts were given at the university and the establishment of laboratories in the Lift Departments of the Industrial Vocational High School. Tavaslıoglu, who served in the ASTEK Lift Standing Commission and Sub-technical Committees of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, has two published books, “Elektrik Mühendisleri İçin Yapı Denetim Kriterleri” (Building Inspection Criteria for Electrical Engineers) and “Asansörde Pratik Bilgiler” (Practical Information in Lifts). The second edition of the latter was then expanded and published again as “Asansör Uygulamaları” (Lift Practices) in 2005. Additionally, technical and general evaluation articles on lifts have been published in the Chambers’ media channels and lift industry magazines. His last book “EN Elevator Design” printed by Elevator World in 2025. Serdar Tavaslıoglu took a role in the executive boards of the Izmir Lift Symposium and the executive committees of Inelex Izmir Lift Expo. He carried out development works at various manufacturing companies where he worked as a consultant, on lift components such as engines, machines, system solutions, doors, cars, regulators, electro-mechanical and mechanical brake. Serdar Tavaslıoglu currently works as a freelance technical consultant. He publishes articles on www.serdartavasloglu.com.
Dr. Stephan Rohr Biography
Dr. Stephan Rohr, Managing Partner of Cobianchi Liftteile AG since January 2025, has been working in elevator safety technology for 19 years. He has contributed to the development of several innovative SIL 3 sensor systems for elevators and now brings his expertise to the development of mechatronic safety gears. Since 2021, he has served as Chief Financial Officer of VFA-interlift e.V
Zhang Lexiang Biography
Zhang Lexiang began his career with the China Elevator Association in May 1993 as Assistant to the Secretary General. Over the years, he advanced through a series of leadership positions, serving as Deputy Secretary General before being appointed Secretary General, a role he held from December 2015 to March 2016.
He holds the title of Senior Engineer at the China Academy of Building Research, which is responsible for his employment and compensation. Throughout his career, however, he has worked exclusively for the China Elevator Association, contributing to the organization's development and the advancement of China's elevator industry.
