Progress Rail’s New Signaling Acquisition, ECM S.p.A., Appoints Managing Director

Progress Rail announced it has appointed Paolo Covoni as managing director of ECM S.p.A.

Since joining Progress Rail, ECM has been committed to exploring opportunities for additional market growth. This includes options for broadening its international commercial efforts and global team, while maintaining its roots in Italy. With Covoni as the new managing director, the company anticipates higher visibility of its advanced railway technologies produced in Italy and abroad. Progress Rail’s intent is to maintain close cooperation with its traditional customers, such as RFI, and leverage ECM’s Italian heritage and technologies to new markets.

“Through his thorough experience and industry expertise, Paolo is well positioned to take on the new role at ECM, assisting Progress Rail in continuing to develop world-class products for the signal industry and ensuring a positive vision for the future,” said John Newman, executive vice president of the infrastructure division of Progress Rail.

Covoni was born in Prato, Italy, and holds an Electronic Engineering degree from the University of Florence. His career has been dedicated to the railway and transportation sector, first with Alcatel Siette in Florence; then with Alstom in multiple roles, and eventually, as CEO of Alstom Transport Italia; and later, as vice president of Strategy for Alstom Transport’s signaling division in Paris. At his last career juncture, Covoni served as vice president of the Southern Region of Bombardier Transportation’s Rail Control Solutions (also part of the signaling division). While there, he led a multinational team, creating an engineering center in Africa, and also worked for two years in Stockholm.

Covoni’s new role and leadership of ECM is effective immediately.