Proposed Board/Share Split

ABB Ltd
19 February 2001

ABB announces proposed Board, share split

Proposals to be made to March 20 annual general meeting of shareholders

Zurich, Switzerland, February 19th, 2001 - ABB today said the Board of Directors
will propose changes in its membership at the annual general meeting of
shareholders on March 20, as well as a share split to improve the liquidity of
ABB's shares.

The company said that Donald Rumsfeld has resigned his membership on the Board
as a result of his recent appointment as U.S. Secretary of Defense. In addition,
Goran Lindahl and Peter Sutherland have both decided not to stand for
re-election.

The Board proposes the re-election of Percy Barnevik, Gerhard Cromme, Jurgen
Dormann, Martin Ebner, Robert Jeker, Agostina Rocca, Edwin Somm, and Jacob
Wallenberg.

The Board proposes the election of Jorgen Centerman, ABB's President and CEO, to
the Board of Directors. The Board intends to re-elect Percy Barnevik as
Chairman, and Robert Jeker as Vice Chairman.

The Board has also proposed a four-to-one share split to reduce the par value of
ABB's registered shares to Sfr.2.50 from Sfr.10. The split has been proposed to
improve the liquidity and marketability of ABB's shares.

The proposals will be made to ABB Ltd's annual general meeting of shareholders,
to be held on March 20 in Zurich, Switzerland, and Vasteras, Sweden. As last
year, the two locations will be linked via a live satellite television
broadcast.

ABB (www.abb.com) serves manufacturing, process and consumer industries,
utilities, and the oil and gas sector markets with 160,000 employees in more
than 100 countries.