# Norm Sowards

> Norm Sowards is an ABB Electrification executive in Cary, North Carolina, serving as CMO and senior vice president of marketing and strategy. His public career traces a path through GE sales, Six Sigma, commercial marketing, and power-components leadership into ABB, where his work sits at the intersection of electrical distribution, product strategy, market development, and the skilled workforce needed to support electrification.

- **Role:** CMO / Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategy at ABB Electrification
- **Organizations:** ABB, GE Industrial Solutions, GE Energy Management, GE Appliances & Lighting
- **Education:** Business Management Course; Leadership, Innovation and Growth; Executive Commercial Management Seminar, GE Executive Leadership Development
- **Known for:** Built a public career spanning sales, Six Sigma, commercial marketing, P&L leadership, product strategy and senior electrification marketing., Led GE's Power Components business during development of the GuardEon circuit-breaker platform and associated advanced-manufacturing investments., Helped communicate GE's $1.7 million Cary facility investment and its role in bringing engineering, product management and manufacturing closer together.

## Career timeline

- **1996-1997** — Market Segment Manager at GE.
- **1997-1999** — District Sales Manager at GE.
- **1999-2002** — Six Sigma Master Black Belt at GE.
- **2007-2008** — Completed GE executive development coursework in commercial management, business management, leadership and innovation.
- **2010** — Publicly identified as general manager of commercial and industrial marketing at GE Appliances & Lighting.
- **2012** — Became general manager of GE Energy Management's Power Components business unit.
- **2013** — Helped represent GE at the opening of its Cary, North Carolina product-development facility.
- **2014-2015** — Led the Power Components business while GE developed advanced manufacturing capability and the GuardEon circuit-breaker platform.
- **2018** — GE Industrial Solutions became part of ABB after ABB completed its $2.6 billion acquisition.
- **2023** — Quoted by ABB as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, ABB Electrification, during a ReliaGear panelboard launch.
- **2024** — Presented a special industry report on market trends at ABB's eOEM Summit and represented ABB at the EC&M Product of the Year recognition.
- **2025** — Interviewed by Trade Hounds about product innovation, AI-enabled solutions and connecting with the next generation of electricians.
- **2026** — Shared ABB initiatives involving data-center startups, electrification workforce development and motorsport energy management.

## Achievements

- Built a public career spanning sales, Six Sigma, commercial marketing, P&L leadership, product strategy and senior electrification marketing.
- Led GE's Power Components business during development of the GuardEon circuit-breaker platform and associated advanced-manufacturing investments.
- Helped communicate GE's $1.7 million Cary facility investment and its role in bringing engineering, product management and manufacturing closer together.
- Represented ABB when its Spec Setter Safety Switch received the 2024 EC&M Product of the Year silver recognition.
- Presented market-trend analysis to ABB electrification OEM partners in 2024.
- Recognized by ABB colleagues as a mentor in strategic marketing and professional development.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Shared a leadership message about aligning strong teams around a common plan and giving people room to perform.
- **2026-06** — Amplified ABB's live demonstration of electrification, automation and real-time energy management at a NASCAR event in San Diego.
- **2026-06** — Shared ABB Electrification's workforce-development support for the Careers Electric coalition, beginning in North Carolina.
- **2026-03** — Promoted ABB's support for the Data Center World Innovation Challenge and invited U.S. data-center startups to participate.
- **2025-08** — Appeared in a Trade Hounds interview about innovation, AI-driven solutions and reaching the next generation of electricians.

## Links

- Website: https://www.abb.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norm-sowards-b746b2a

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/norm-sowards
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-21