Eaton appoints Paulo Ruiz as COO and announces CEO succession plan

The Board of Directors of Eaton named Paulo Ruiz president and COO and a member of the board of directors, effective September 2. Ruiz will be appointed CEO of Eaton on June 1, 2025. He succeeds Craig Arnold, who will retire on May 31, 2025, having reached Eaton’s mandatory officer retirement age of 65. Arnold has been Eaton’s chairman and CEO since June 2016. Paulo Ruiz, 49, has been president and chief operating officer of the Industrial Sector since July 2022. In this role, Ruiz is responsible for the company’s Aerospace, Vehicle, eMobility, Filtration and Golf Pride businesses, as well as the company’s operations in the Asia-Pacific, Central and South American regions. Previously, Paulo was president of the company’s 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 chief executive officer 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.