CLEVELAND … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation announced that Kirk Thomsen has been named senior vice president – Human Resources for the Industrial Sector. Thomsen will report to Craig Arnold, vice chairman and chief operating officer – Industrial Sector. Thomsen will be located in Cleveland, Ohio.

Thomsen joined Eaton in 1981 as a personnel assistant in Kearney, Nebraska, and became Human Resources manager at that location in 1985. He also served as the Human Resources manager at the Automotive Group’s Belmond, Iowa, location for four years before moving to Eaton’s World Headquarters in Cleveland in 1993 as manager, Human Resources Policies and Practices. He started Eaton’s current college relations and recruiting function in 1995 and returned to the field in 1996 as the division human resources manager for the Vehicle Switch and Electrical Division. In 2000, he became the human resources director for the Electrical Group’s Electrical Distribution Products Operations and, in 2002 moved into the same role for the group’s Power Components and Systems Operations. Thomsen was named the Automotive Group’s vice president, Human Resources in May 2006.

“Kirk is a great choice for this role,” said Arnold. “He has had cross-group moves, two corporate assignments and worked all around the world. I know we will benefit from his twenty-eight years of experience with Eaton. Throughout his career he has balanced driving change with protecting the culture and I’m glad he will be bringing that experience to the Industrial Sector.”

Thomsen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska in Kearney and a master’s in business administration from Drake University in Iowa.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2008 sales of $15.4 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 75,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.