Ralph Donati is the Executive Vice President and President, U.S. and Latin America Regions, ABB Installation Products Division.ABB is a global technology company specializing in electrification, robotics and automation. Memphis is the US and Latin American regional office for ABB Installation Products and employs 360 people, including engineers and research and development professionals, product specialists and sales leaders. The team focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing products used to manage the connection, protection and distribution of electrical power in industrial, construction and utility applications.
The team just celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Robert M. Thomas Innovation Center, named after inventor and co-founder of Thomas & Betts, which became ABB’s Installation Products in 2012. The $3 million state-of-the-art lab and collaboration center brings together ABB employees from research and development, engineering, and product and training specialists to work directly with customers on innovating and launching the next generation of electrification products.
“As the area’s 7th largest private employer, we are proud to be part of the Memphis community for over a quarter century,” he said, “and to continue our heritage in Memphis as a leader focused on safe, smart and sustainable electrification solutions that power our homes and communities.”
A Memphis native, Ralph attended Christian Brothers High School and graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He started his career as a product engineer at Thomas & Betts. He later worked for Smith & Nephew in various product engineering and product marketing leadership roles for 12 years before joining ABB in 2013.
Ralph and his wife of 26 years have two daughters. One daughter is working on her master’s at the U of M and their younger daughter is a freshman at Rhodes College. When he’s not working, Ralph enjoys cheering on the Memphis Tigers and Tennessee Titans, and now that their children are adults, they enjoy traveling to Central Florida to meet up with longtime friends.
Ralph says ABB joined the Chairman’s Circle out of a desire to elevate the company’s presence in the community and to be a good corporate citizen by investing in the work of the Greater Memphis Chamber in economic and workforce development. He believes an investment in the Chairman’s Circle is an investment in Memphis, “We want to see Memphis be the best it can. Memphis is a diamond in the rough, a city with endless potential and a better Memphis means a better ABB.”
About the Chairman’s Circle: The Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle is a group of more than 160 C-suite business leaders working to spur economic growth, develop the workforce, and improve the business climate throughout the region. Learn more about the group and its task forces here and follow the Chairman’s Circle on LinkedIn.