ABB NEMA Motors Division President Jesse Henson’s future-forward approach earned him recognition in the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Class of 2025 C-Suite, which honors executives driving innovation across their industries and local communities.
As North America’s leading electric motor manufacturer, ABB delivers advanced, energy-efficient technology under Henson’s guidance to meet global energy demand and help companies that rely on motor-driven systems increase profitability.
“Efficiency and innovation steer ABB, but our people make it possible,” Henson said. “Our goal is to advance manufacturing by building the next generation of talent.”
Henson oversees strategic initiatives for one of ABB’s largest business divisions, building on more than 100 years of innovation, plus the recent acquisitions of Siemens’ low-voltage NEMA motor business and Aurora Motors, while advancing investment in research and development to expand the company’s portfolio. In 2025, these efforts produced six new motors, a customer portal that generates real-time updates and communication to provide responsive technical service, and a major rebranding initiative.
Beyond product innovation, Henson prioritizes workforce development and technical education to ensure long-term industry growth. He established multi-million-dollar partnerships with the Peak Innovation Center, the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith and Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus to build hands-on training programs in automation, robotics and advanced manufacturing. ABB also supports local STEAM programs and food drives and provides facility tours to inspire future careers in manufacturing.
Henson joined Arkansas-based Baldor Electric Company as a sales manager before ABB acquired the manufacturer in 2011. Following the acquisition, Henson’s strategic insight drove growth across the business and accelerated his move into executive leadership.
Learn more about how ABB is driving progress in manufacturing and workforce development here.
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this “Engineered to Outrun.” The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com
ABB Motion, a global leader in motors and drives, is at the core of accelerating a more productive and sustainable future. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to contribute to energy efficient, decarbonizing and circular solutions for customers, industries and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors and services we support our customers and partners to achieve better performance, safety and reliability. To help the world’s industries outrun – leaner and cleaner, we deliver motor-driven solutions for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Building on over 140 years of domain expertise in electric powertrains, our more than 23,000 employees across 100 countries learn and improve every day. go.abb/motion
