APC elevates Rob Johnson to CEO

Remmy Nweke

The American Power Conversion (APC), with office in Nigeri has named Mr. Rob Johnson as the firm’s interim President and chief executive officer (CEO).

This follows the approval of the board of directors and retirement of Mr. Rodger B. Dowedell, Jnr, which takes immediate effect.

Before now, Mr. Johnson has been the Vice President at APC and would be acting on interim basis as president and CEO pending the appointment of a new CEO or confirmation of his new status.

On the other hand, Mr. Dowdell would continue to serve on the board of directors as non-executive chairman of the board.

Mr. Johnson joined APC in 1997 after APC acquired his Systems Enhancement Corporation, the power management software firm he founded in 1990 and has held the position of president till the acquisition.

As vice president at APC, Mr. Johnson directs the development and marketing of APC's cooling, management, and accessory offerings for data centers and networking environments including critical components of APC's InfraStruXure solution. He holds a BS in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri.

On his new responsibility, he said, it is has been an exciting time at APC, marked by truly innovative solutions and a tremendous opportunity in the data center.

"In addition, APC has a team of extremely talented individuals and a wonderful customer base with which to work. With this solid foundation, the board and I don't envision any immediate major strategic changes at APC in terms of products offered or sales channels. We are extremely well positioned to address our markets from the data center to the living room," he said.

Speaking on behalf of the board, a director, Mr. Jim Gerson, said APC noted that during Mr. Dowdell’s 21 years of leading APC, his strategic vision and strong direction were instrumental in building APC into the world's leading uninterruptible power supply (UPS) company and now a leader in the NCPI market for data centers. "His inspiration has enabled us to become the dynamic and innovative company APC is today. Rodger oversaw APC's remarkable growth from a small start up to an industry leader with over $2 billion in revenue and approximately 8,500 employees worldwide. Most recently, he has led APC's entry into the data center market with the successful introduction of the award-winning InfraStruXure(R) architecture. Fortunately, Rodger will continue to serve as our chairman and we will continue to benefit from his vision and insight.

Mr. Gerson said APC was pleased to have Rob assume the role of president and CEO while we conduct a search for a permanent replacement," continued Gerson. "In his current position, Rob works closely with APC's development, sales, marketing and operations teams and has exhibited strong leadership skills at APC. We look forward to working with APC's management team, driving innovation and excellence in the market and the company, while focusing on enhancing shareholder value."

Just as Dowdell said, "I have had an amazing journey at APC, joining the company when there were just a handful of people and experiencing all its ups and downs over the years. We have truly built something to be proud of. Not only has APC become a leader in its industry, but it is an organization that is solving real customer problems. Over the years I have worked with amazing people and I thank them for all their energy and commitment. I am excited about the next stage of my contributions to APC and am anxious to begin working with the board on APC's strategic vision for the next 20 years.”

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