Eaton names Ruiz as president/COO and CEO successor

The Board of Directors of Eaton has named Paulo Ruiz as president and chief operating officer of Eaton and a member of the board of directors, effective September 2, 2024.

Paulo Ruiz

Ruiz will also become chief executive officer on June 1, 2025. He will succeed current CEO Craig Arnold upon his retirement on May 31, 2025, having reached Eaton’s mandatory officer retirement age of 65. Arnold has been the company’s chairman and CEO since June 2016.

Ruiz has served as president and COO of the company’s Industrial Sector since July 2022. In this role, he has been responsible for its Aerospace, Vehicle, eMobility, Filtration and Golf Pride businesses, as well as its operations in the Asia-Pacific, Central and South American regions. Previously, Paulo was president of the Americas region of the Energy Solutions and Services business and president of the company’s Hydraulics Group.

Before joining Eaton in 2019, Ruiz served in various strategic positions worldwide with Siemens, including CEO of Dresser–Rand, a Siemens business, and operations, commercial and engineering positions at Fiat.

During the transition period, Ruiz will continue to oversee the company’s Industrial Sector, and Heath Monesmith will remain the leader of its Electrical Sector.

“Our entire board is thrilled to congratulate Paulo on his promotion,” said Gregory R. Page, who will become the non-executive chair of the Eaton Board of Directors effective June 1, 2025. “Eaton’s strong position today is due to the mission-driven culture, strategic direction and operational excellence that define the company. Paulo’s deep operations expertise and strong global manufacturing background make him uniquely qualified to lead Eaton through the next phase of the company’s growth.”

“Paulo’s experience overseeing critical aspects of our portfolio transformation and driving profitability in our operations has been critical in positioning our company for sustained growth,” added Arnold. “I’m proud to work with him and our team of passionate leaders to guide Eaton through this inflection point in our company’s long history. I have full confidence in Paulo’s ability to lead the enterprise into the future.”