Leadership in Technology Speaker Series: A Conversation with Brett Cope ’90 and Dinesh Paliwal MS ’83 MBA ’85

Brett Cope ’90

President and Chief Executive Officer, Powell Industries, Inc.
Chairman, Miami University College of Engineering and Computing Executive Advisory Board

Brett Cope has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Powell Industries, Inc. since October 1, 2016. Brett was elected as the Chairman of the Board for Powell Industries on October 1, 2019.

Brett has more than 31 years of experience in the electrical, automation and process industries. Prior to his election as Powell's Chief Executive Officer, Brett served as Powell's Chief Operating Officer from December 2015 to September 30, 2016.

Brett joined Powell in 2011 to create a global Sales and Marketing team across Powell as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Powell, Brett spent twenty years with ABB in various engineering, project operations and sales management positions. In his last role as the Group Vice President, he was responsible for the strategic development and execution of global business initiatives for ABB's activities with the ExxonMobil Corporations.

Brett is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelor in Applied Science, and has successfully completed numerous professional certifications. 

Powell Industries designs, manufactures and services custom-engineered equipment and systems for the distribution, control and monitoring of electrical energy. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022, Powell has approximately 2,000 employees.

Powell's markets include large industrial customers including utilities, oil and gas producers, refineries, petrochemical plants, data centers, pulp and paper producers, mining operations, and commuter railways.

Dinesh Paliwal MS ’83 MBA ’85

Partner at KKR
Board Member at Bristol Myers Squibb, Nestle, Raytheon Technologies
Board of Trustees at Miami University

Dinesh joined KKR in New York as Partner in March 2021. He also serves on the Boards of Bristol Myers Squibb, Nestle and Raytheon Technologies.
    
Dinesh joined HARMAN as Chairman, CEO and President in 2007 and remained in this role until March 2017 when he sold the company to Samsung Electronics for US$8.8 billion. Dinesh turned around HARMAN and made it the industry leader in Audio and Connected Car technologies. Prior to HARMAN, he spent 22 years with ABB Group of Switzerland, where he last held the dual role of President of ABB Group with company’s global P&L, and additionally held the role of Chairman and CEO of ABB North America. Dinesh was instrumental in ABB’s turnaround from near collapse in 2002. Dinesh has lived and worked in the United States, China, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, and India.
 
Dinesh was named Fortune Magazine’s “Business Person of the Year” list and listed in Yahoo Finance’s 5-Star CEOs. In addition, Dinesh has been honored by numerous organizations for his contributions, including T.J. Martell Foundation, B'nai B'rith International, GOPIO, America India Foundation and EY. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS), which counts among its past medalists seven U.S. presidents, Nobel Prize winners, and other world leaders of government, industry, education, the arts, and sports.  
 
After completing a Master's degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Dinesh earned a Master of Science in Engineering and an MBA in Finance, both from Miami University in Ohio. In 2019, Dinesh was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the Board of Trustees of Miami University in Ohio. In the same year, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology. In 2021, he was honored with the Pioneer Award by Miami University College of Engineering and Computing. He serves on the board of directors of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and the Farmer School Board of Visitors.