Rockwell Automation Expands Senior Leadership Team

Kulaszewicz

The board of directors of Rockwell Automation Inc. has elected two new corporate officers who will lead the company’s two operating segments effective April 1, 2011. Blake Moret is being promoted to senior vice president of the Control Products and Solutions (CP&S) segment. Frank Kulaszewicz is being promoted to senior vice president of the Architecture and Software (A&S) segment. Both positions will report to Keith Nosbusch, chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation.

“Both Frank and Blake are proven leaders in our organization,” Nosbusch said. “They are well qualified for these critical roles. Our leadership team is a competitive advantage that differentiates Rockwell Automation. These appointments are a natural next step in our continued globalization, and are consistent with our longer-term succession planning and leadership development processes.”

“In anticipation that our business will continue to grow more quickly outside the United States – with our fastest growth coming from the Asia Pacific region – Frank will be based in Singapore and will run the A&S segment from there,” Nosbusch added. “As we continue to grow our people, our teams, our partners and our business in Asia Pacific, we must ensure we are building our leadership capability and strengthening our cross-cultural competency,” continued Nosbusch.

For the last three years, Kulaszewicz has served as vice president and general manager, Control and Visualization Business within A&S. He has worked at Rockwell Automation for over 25 years and has held several key leadership roles in the drive systems and standard drives businesses.

Since late 2007, Moret has served as vice president and general manager, Customer Support and Maintenance in CP&S. He has broad global experience working across the company in sales, services and product groups for over 25 years. He also brings a global mindset to the senior leadership team, having served in roles in Europe and Canada.

Capitalizing on the strengths of the current senior leadership team, Steve Eisenbrown is being appointed senior vice president, Strategic Development, responsible for global business development, alignment of strategic investments and initiatives as well as the company’s multi-year global business process transformation project.

“Steve has made significant contributions to Rockwell Automation for over 35 years in various roles, most recently as senior vice president, Architecture and Software,” Nosbusch said. “His breadth of business and customer knowledge and passion for driving results will continue to be a tremendous asset in the ongoing execution of our global growth and performance strategy.”

Bob Ruff, most recently senior vice president, CP&S, is being appointed president of the company’s Asia Pacific Region. This is one of the fastest growing regions of the company with approximately 30 percent sales growth in fiscal 2010. “With 35 years of service, Bob is one of our most accomplished and experienced executives with an extensive sales management, business and regional leadership background,” Nosbusch said. “He is charged with accelerating growth in this important region and building relationships with key customers and partners.”

All of that came from the press release announcing the changes. I've expected that Kulaszewicz was going to move up. Expanding senior leadership makes sense. It's been stable for quite a while--which is a good thing--but the time comes to bring in new thinking at the strategic level.

Kulaszewicz has also been heading up part of the software business. When Rockwell acquired Pavilion, Ralph Carter, the CEO, was appointed President of Rockwell Software. That's a rather dubious honor (just ask Rich Ryan and Kevin Roach). But soon, the software business was split between him (who became a vice president of software) and Kulaszewicz. I've heard that Carter has left the company, which isn't a surprise to me. Given my interest in software, I'm looking forward to see the new directions and leadership for that segment.

Mintchell on business and manufacturing strategy

You can watch or listen as I discuss Inder Sidhu's book "Doing Both". He's a Cisco Sr. VP and shows examples of how to do two seemingly contradictory strategies. Also Jon DiPietro's blog Domesticating IT about business strategy death spirals. The message is be aware of your situation from a larger perspective and be ready to chuck your model for a new one.

Mintchell on Strategy

Emerson's Sonnenberg Talks Innovation, Business

The ballroom was a little dark, but I wanted to give a sense of a large, packed house.

Steve Sonnenberg, Emerson Vice President and Business Leader of Emerson Process Management, delivered the Emerson part of the keynotes this morning at Emerson Global Users Exchange 2010 to a packed ballroom with probably more than 3,000 in attendance. Reported registrations of end users, partners and the like total about 2,200. That is up from about 1,800 last year. Sonnenberg, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, produced a chart that showed Exchange as a leading indicator for the company's business.

And speaking of business, Sonnenberg acknowledged coming through some tough economic times, but that company executives remain optimistic for the future. His first point of the talk was Focus Delivers Results. Emerson made many tough decisions in 2009 to weather the storm, but they helped keep the organization stable. 2010 is shaping up to be a good year, and the company is poised to go forward in 2011.

The company continued to invest during the downturn. Sonnenberg boasted having the largest research and development in the industry. R&D spending actually increased 4% in 2009 and 8% in 2010. Other investments were in acquisitions of Roxar, EIM, SI Industrial Instruments and epro. The Emerson Innovation Center in Marshalltown, Iowa gives the company industry leading ability to test valves and systems at high flow and pressure in larger pipe sizes than previously possible anywhere in the world.

In remarks that should give pause to those who think big companies cannot innovate, Sonnenberg took attendees through a list of technologies Emerson has championed over the years. The list begins with Hart, continues through Foundation Fieldbus, smart Safety Integrated Systems, Smart wireless, and then on to last year's announcements of DeltaV I/O on demand, electronic marshalling and all the relevant technologies around Human Centered Design.

If focus gives clarity and intensity, collaboration creates purpose. A few years ago the industry was composed of product suppliers. But users said, "We need more." So Emerson started building out global service centers, then started working more as a project partner as customers started building larger and more complex facilities. Even advances through Human Centered Design are contributing to advancing collaboration.

Corporate Leadership HP Version

I've devoted much of my adult life studying (and sometimes practicing) leadership. I have a library of over 20 books in my office right now that I've read. So, the unfolding drama at HP has captured a bit of my attention. Mark Hurd, former CEO who was at NCR in Dayton before that gig, was forced out by the board last week. Ostensibly the reason was first the result of a sexual harrassment accusation by a contract "marketing" (more like hostess or "booth babe") person. When they could find no evidence of that, the board fell back on alleged discrepancies on his expense reports--seemingly pretty minor.

Much has been written. Henry Blodget writing at Silicon Valley Insider Business Insider points to Hurd's poor marks from employees as a leader. I've read an essay written by a woman who takes sides with the movie actress/marketing rep just based on gender politics as best I can figure out. And one that argues that the board's PR consultant warned them that even if there were no wrongdoing, the bad publicity that could not be countered would be a big problem. Whereupon Oracle CEO Larry Ellison came to Hurd's defense.

Wouldn't surprise me if the board wimped out over the publicity angle. I doubt that they dumped him because a lot of employees thought he was bad. After all, he was a cost-cutter. Cost-cutting managers are not going to be liked. What surprised me is that cost-cutters aren't usually big thinkers and actors. Buying Palm and redirecting product development toward WebOS and away from Windows Mobile 7 was a major move.

In the end, I doubt that it was Hurd's leadership as much as the HP Board's lack of (something). They brought in superstar Carly Fiorina (it's all about me, whereupon she is now in politics where it is "all about me") then let her swing in the wind for a long time before jettisoning her. Then they brough in an uber manager, whom they subsequently trash. With that board, I pity the next victim, er, CEO.

Lies, Statistics and Analysis

I sort of remember a quote from somewhere that included the phrase, "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics." Just like you should only believe things on the Web from trusted sources, be careful of statistics. Especially as repored in the general press. They leave too much out in their pursuit of a number.

On the other hand, you get an item from the Associated Press in today's Dayton Daily News that says U.S. productivity dropped 0.9% in the second quarter. I guess (since I'm not told in the article) that that's an aggregate number for all businesses in the United States. We have all been taught that increasing productivity is the driver of prosperity.

So, this is bad news, right? Well, no. Some analysts believe that since we've had a stretch of increasing productivity, this number signals that employers can't wrench another ounce of producitivity from us. So, to increase output, businesses will have to begin hiring. That's good news--especially for all my friends and relatives searching for work.

Reminds me of a remark the pseudonomous Wall St. analyst "Adam Smith" said in a book I've long since forgotten the title of when referring to the common wisdom of "a wave of selling hit Wall St. today." His comeback--"for every seller there's a buyer." Hmm. Is the cup half full? Half empty? I'm thirsty.