ABB, a leader in power and automation technologies, has recently appointed Enrique Santacana as Region Manager, ABB North America and President & CEO of ABB Inc. USA, effective from July 1, 2007.  He replaces Dinesh Paliwal, who is leaving ABB at the end of June, and will continue to be based in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Most recently, he was ABB's Region Division Manager for Power Products in North America. The $2 billion USD business develops, manufactures and sells products and services used in the electrical power industry. A member of the North American Executive Committee, Santacana has made a significant contribution to the turnaround in ABB’s business performance and culture change across the region, reveals the company’s press release.

Santacana holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, a Master of Engineering Degree in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Duke University. He first joined ABB in 1977 and has held a number of different positions in the USA. Previously, Santacana served as head of ABB's Power Technologies Division in North America. Additional positions held with ABB include Vice President and General Manager, Medium-Voltage Products, Vice President and Director of ABB Power T&D Company's Electric Systems Technology Institute and Vice President and General Manager of the ABB Power T&D Company's Electric Metering and Control Business Unit.