ABB names Ulrich Spiesshofer as CEO

Head of Discrete Automation and Motion division to succeed Joe Hogan on
September 15
Zurich, Switzerland, June 17, 2013 – The Board of ABB has unanimously appointed
Ulrich Spiesshofer, the head of its Discrete Automation and Motion (DM)
division, as Chief Executive Officer. He will succeed Joe Hogan in this role in
an orderly transition on September 15, 2013. Hogan will continue with ABB for
some months as Senior Advisor to the Board.

Spiesshofer joined ABB’s Executive Committee in 2005 and was named responsible
for DM in 2009. He has led a doubling of the division’s revenues by organic and
inorganic means, and the integration of Baldor – ABB’s largest ever acquisition.
He has increased profit margins through a turnaround in Robotics, as well as the
profitable growth and relentless execution of the motors and drives activities.

“ABB has developed a strong bench of talent: I am extremely pleased that the new
CEO comes from within the company, and brings a solid track record and deep
knowledge of the portfolio,” said ABB Chairman Hubertus von Grünberg. “Ulrich
has been a key force in shaping and implementing ABB’s strategy, and the
integration of Baldor stands out as a benchmark for successful large
acquisitions.”

Spiesshofer also initiated other business expansion activities in DM based on
organic growth and acquisitions. These have helped DM to grow faster than the
market and to expand into new business areas such as e-mobility and
uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), as well as to better balance the business
geographically. The planned acquisition of Power-One would make ABB a leading
global supplier of solar inverters. A successor to his role in DM will be
announced in due course.

CEO Joe Hogan said: “Ulrich has done a tremendous job in DM based on the solid
knowledge and experience acquired in many successful years within ABB and
outside. With his strong contribution and team-oriented collaboration, our mid
-term strategy has been making great progress.”

Prior to taking over DM, Spiesshofer was responsible for Corporate Development,
leading strategy development and implementation across the power and automation
businesses, in very close collaboration with all of ABB’s teams. This included
ABB’s roadmap for mergers and acquisitions and the formation of ABB’s technology
venture arm. In this role, he strengthened ABB’s operational excellence and
procurement processes, laying the groundwork for the cost savings program which
has been executed over the past few years of global economic crisis.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead ABB and serving our customers
building on Joe’s success,” said Spiesshofer. “I am looking forward to keep
working with all my colleagues in the Executive Committee and the entire ABB
team. Together, we will continue to drive profitable growth and relentless
execution for the company.”

Before joining ABB, Spiesshofer spent three years at Roland Berger Strategy
Consultants and 11 years at A.T. Kearney management consultants, where he built
successful consulting businesses in industries including oil and gas, utilities,
telecoms and automotive, in Europe, Asia and the Americas. He has a master’s
degree in Business Administration and Engineering, and a PhD in Economics, both
from the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

ABB (www.abb.com (http://www.abb.com/)) is a leader in power and automation
technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their
performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies
operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.
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(Zurich, Switzerland)
Tel: 41 43 317 6568
media.relations@ch.abb.com