Zurich, Switzerland, April 4, 1996 - ABB said today with great regret that Robert Donovan, the company`s Executive Vice President for the Americas region and head of ABB Inc. in the U.S., must be assumed to have been among those killed in the crash yesterday of a U.S. military plane near Dubrovnik, Croatia. The plane was carrying U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and a delegation of U.S. business leaders on a trade mission to the Balkans. The mission was investigating ways to help rebuild the war-battered region`s infrastructure.
Donovan, 54, had assumed his most recent responsibilities in January, 1994, and had spent more than 20 years in the international electrical engineering industry. From 1992 to 1993 he was president of ABB Power Plant Systems in Stamford, Connecticut. Prior to that he held senior management positions with U.S. engineering firms Foster Wheeler and Babcock and Wilcox. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Donovan also served 10 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was married and a father of two.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic event," said Percy Barnevik, ABB`s Chairman and CEO. "Bob Donovan was both a trusted friend and a highly-regarded member of our Executive Committee. He never hesitated to take on difficult assignments and he died while fullfilling his duties to the company. Our thoughts and most deeply felt condolences are with his wife and children in this time of grief.
"Bob took up the challenge of heading our American business with energy, enthusiasm and teamwork and he helped us establish a strong foundation for future growth," Barnevik said. "He made a profound contribution to our company and his loss will be felt deeply, both personally and professionally."
Barnevik also said that Mr. Richard Slember, previously in charge of power generation in the U.S. and later on ABB`s nuclear activities worldwide, has been appointed acting President and CEO of ABB Inc. and head of the Americas region on an interim basis. (End)