Stmnt re Senior Executive

ABB Ltd
30 October 2000


ABB Corporate Communications
Bjorn Edlund
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Senior ABB Executive New Chairman and CEO of Ciba Specialty Chemicals

Zurich, Switzerland, October 31, 2000 - Armin Meyer, a member of the ABB Group
Executive Committee and head of the Building Technologies segment, is leaving
ABB to become Chairman and CEO of Ciba Specialty Chemicals, a global leader in
its sector, ABB said today.

ABB President and CEO Goran Lindahl said ABB regretted Armin Meyer's decision to
leave ABB.  Lindahl added that he - and his successor Jorgen Centerman, who
takes over as ABB President and CEO on Jan. 1. 2001 - had agreed to release
Meyer for his new post after considering the circumstances.

Meyer said: 'This was too good an opportunity for me to pass up.  I will always
appreciate what I've learned and experienced in my 25 years in ABB.'

Meyer, 51, takes up his new position as CEO of Ciba Specialty Chemicals on Jan.
1, 2001.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of Ciba Specialty Chemicals,
currently serving as its vice chairman.  He assumes the post of Chairman of the
Board on Nov. 17, 2000.

A successor to Meyer as the head of the Building Technologies segment will be
announced in the near future, ABB said.