zoomImage Courtesy: ABB

Roger Agnelli, ABB Board of Directors’ member and former Chairman of Brazilian mining company Vale, died in a plane crash in Sao Paolo, Brazil, along with his wife and two children, on 19 March.

Brazilian authorities confirmed the deaths of Agnelli and his immediate family as well as of the pilot and two other passengers on board, after his plane slammed into two homes on 19 March. The investigation has reportedly started, with no details available at the moment.

“I am deeply saddened. Roger was an extremely admired and valued member of ABB’s board of directors and a good friend. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Peter Voser, Chairman of ABB’s Board of Directors, said.

Roger Agnelli joined the ABB Board of Directors in 2002, after becoming Chairman of the Brazilian mining company, Vale. He acted as Vale’s President and CEO until 2011, turning the company into the largest global iron ore producer and second largest mining in the world.

“It was during his tenure, in 2005, that Vale obtained its investment grade rating. This was the first time that rating agencies had awarded a Brazilian company a better score than Brazil’s sovereign credit rating. At that time, the Brazilian government had not yet been given an investment grade rating,” says Vale.

On Harward Business Review’s list “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World” from 2013, Agnelli was ranked fourth out of one hundred prominent names.

In addition to ABB membership, Agnelli was a member of the Board of Directors at UK WPP plc as well as a Chairman of B&A in Brazil. He also served as a member the Global Advisory Board of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Vice-President of the Center of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro.