Allen Shapard joins the technology group’s global communications team from APCO Worldwide

ABB has announced that Allen Shapard has been named as the group’s new group vice president of communications for the electrification products division. He will take responsibility for global communications, media relations and internal communications associated with the EP division, which in 2017 generated $10.1bn in revenue and had approximately 42,200 employees.

Shapard is coming to ABB from APCO Worldwide, the communications consultancy, where he held the position of senior director and chair of public engagement strategies in the firm’s New York office.

“We are very pleased to have Allen join our team,” says Tarak Mehta, president of electrification products at ABB. “He brings a great reservoir of experience and depth of knowledge in corporate communications that will serve our division extremely well as we move forward.”

Shapard has many years of experience in advising international organizations, corporations, institutions and notable individuals. Prior to joining APCO, he served as senior vice president, global partnerships, and head of the global institutions group for WME/IMG, the international media, marketing, entertainment and sports conglomerate. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies, the Nobel Prize awarding institutions, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Shanghai and Dubai World Expos, and the United Nations. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Yale University, a Master’s in international relations from Cambridge University, and a JD from the University of Virginia.

“I am delighted to join ABB during such an exciting time of change and growth,” says Shapard. “The company’s deep involvement in digital products and services and the division’s expanding presence in the North American market will certainly present some interesting professional challenges to address in terms of communications. I look forward to supporting the success of the EP division.”

The electrification products division provides solutions across the full electrical value chain, from the substation to the point of consumption. Innovations from the business enable a safer and more reliable electrical flow, with a full range of low- and medium-voltage products and solutions for intelligent protection and connection as well as pre-engineered packaged solutions and services tailored to customers’ needs.