Top jobs change at ABB, Brook Crompton, Danfoss and Siemens

In a flurry of activity, several key jobs in the UK drives and motors industry have changed hands in recent weeks.

At ABB, Steve Ruddell (below, left), previously general manager for the electrical machines business, has been given responsibility for drives as well. James Haigh, who has been general manager of the drives business for the past seven years, has been appointed general manager of ABB`s low-voltage control products business in Coventry, replacing Bob Allen who is retiring after 30 years with ABB.

Mike Carman, who has been running ABB`s dedicated HVAC drives operation since it was set up in 2002, will now take on responsibility for the whole UK drives business, under Ruddell. Carman`s earlier career include a stint at Control Techniques before becoming one of the founders of Invertek Drives.

At Brook Crompton, Steve Crowther, has stepped down from his position as managing director. Crowther had been running the troubled motors business since before the Singapore group Lindeteves-Jacoberg bought it from Invensys in early 2002. A Brook stalwart, Graham Harries has been appointed managing director for the UK.

At Danfoss, drives veteran Tony Pickering (above, centre) has replaced Malcolm Staff as sales and marketing director, following Staff`s appointment as managing director of Brighouse-based Halifax Fan. Pickering, whose previous career has included stints at Alstom and AC Tech, hopes to expand Danfoss` dominant position in the HVAC drives market as well as boosting its share of the systems drives market. Staff is replacing Charles Rodley, who will continue to act as a consultant to Halifax Fan until his retirement.

Finally, at Siemens, Juergen Koehler (above right) has replaced Ullrich Schliefer as managing director of the UK Automation and Drives business. Schilefer is retiring after 42 years with Siemens. Koehler, who joined Siemens in 1984 as a project engineer, has worked for the company in Europe and China.