ABB’s Future CEO Snares Top Job After Years of Study

ABB Ltd.’s designated Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer has been preparing for the job since his student days. His 1991 dissertation examined how engineers can reach top management roles at industry companies.

Last week, the research of the 49-year-old German paid off when he was named as chief of Zurich-based ABB, the world’s largest supplier of power grids and worth 45 billion francs ($48 billion). He takes the helm on Sept. 15, only eight years after joining ABB and following 14 years as a consultant with A.T. Kearney and Roland Berger advising automotive, oil, gas, consumer, telecommunications and utility companies.