Littelfuse Appoints Plexus CEO Todd Kelsey to Board of Directors
Littelfuse, Inc., a diversified industrial technology manufacturing company focused on developing smart solutions that enable safe, reliable, and efficient electrical energy transfer, has announced the appointment of Todd Kelsey to its Board of Directors. Alongside his appointment to the board, Kelsey has also been named to Littelfuse’s Compensation Committee.
The addition of Kelsey strengthens Littelfuse’s board with an executive who brings decades of experience spanning technology, engineering, manufacturing, global operations, and corporate leadership. His background is particularly relevant to Littelfuse as the company continues to expand its portfolio of solutions serving industrial, transportation, and electronics markets.
Kelsey currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Plexus Corp., a global technology and manufacturing enterprise with approximately 20,000 employees operating across 27 sites in seven countries. Under his leadership, Plexus has continued to support leading original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, with highly complex product design, engineering, manufacturing, and service capabilities.
Plexus serves customers across several demanding industries, including Aerospace and Defense, Industrial, Semiconductor, Data Center, and Healthcare and Life Sciences. Many of these markets require advanced engineering capabilities, strict quality standards, sophisticated manufacturing processes, and compliance with demanding regulatory requirements. Kelsey’s experience managing these complex operations is expected to provide valuable insight to Littelfuse’s board.
“We are pleased to welcome Todd to the Littelfuse Board of Directors,” said Gordon Hunter, Chairman of the Littelfuse Board of Directors. Hunter highlighted Kelsey’s extensive international experience and his expertise in technology, engineering, and manufacturing across the company’s key end markets.
According to Hunter, Kelsey’s operational perspective, experience serving on public company boards, and record of leading a multinational organization will provide an important contribution as Littelfuse continues to execute its strategic priorities. The company also expects his experience to support its objective of creating sustainable, long-term value for customers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders.
Kelsey brings a long history with Plexus. He joined the company in 1994 as a design engineer, beginning a career that has included a wide range of engineering, customer service, operational, and executive leadership positions. Over more than three decades, he has developed extensive knowledge of advanced manufacturing and technology-driven business operations.
His progression through Plexus has included roles such as Senior Vice President of Engineering Solutions, Executive Vice President of Global Customer Services, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. These positions gave him exposure to different parts of the company’s global operations and allowed him to develop experience in engineering, customer engagement, manufacturing, and organizational management.
Kelsey became President and Chief Executive Officer of Plexus in 2016. As CEO, he has been responsible for guiding a global organization serving customers that operate in highly technical and regulated markets. Plexus works with OEMs throughout product development and manufacturing, helping customers design, manufacture, and service complex products.
The company’s operating model requires coordination across engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, quality, customer service, and other functions. Kelsey’s leadership in this environment provides him with a practical understanding of the challenges associated with managing global manufacturing operations and supporting customers with complex technical requirements.
That experience aligns closely with Littelfuse’s own position as an industrial technology manufacturer. Littelfuse develops products and solutions designed to protect electrical and electronic systems while helping customers improve safety, reliability, efficiency, and connectivity.
The company serves a broad range of end markets, including industrial applications, transportation, and electronics. Its products are incorporated into systems and equipment used in everyday applications as well as highly specialized industrial environments.
Littelfuse’s strategy increasingly requires the company to respond to major technological and industrial trends. Electrification, connected systems, automation, energy efficiency, transportation technology, and the growing complexity of electronic systems are reshaping the markets in which industrial technology companies operate.
Kelsey’s experience in technology and advanced manufacturing therefore provides a potentially valuable perspective as Littelfuse evaluates opportunities in these evolving markets. His understanding of engineering-driven businesses and global manufacturing operations can complement the existing expertise of Littelfuse’s board.
In addition to his executive responsibilities at Plexus, Kelsey has developed experience through service on corporate and community boards. His previous board responsibilities include serving as Vice Chair of the Board and Audit Committee Chair for Steelcase Inc. This experience has provided exposure to corporate governance, financial oversight, board-level decision-making, and strategic planning.
Kelsey currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. His involvement with the organization further connects him to the broader manufacturing community and provides insight into issues affecting manufacturers and businesses.
His combination of executive management and board experience is expected to support his responsibilities at Littelfuse. As a member of the Compensation Committee, Kelsey will also contribute to board-level discussions and oversight related to executive compensation and related matters.
The appointment reflects Littelfuse’s continued focus on strengthening its governance capabilities with leaders who have relevant industry experience. For industrial technology manufacturers, board expertise in engineering, manufacturing, technology, and international operations can be particularly important as companies navigate rapidly changing markets and increasingly complex global supply chains.
Kelsey’s career also demonstrates a long-standing connection to engineering and technology. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He later earned an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, combining technical engineering education with formal business management training.
This combination of technical and business expertise has been a consistent feature of Kelsey’s professional career. Starting as a design engineer and progressing into senior executive leadership, he has gained experience across both the technical and strategic aspects of a global manufacturing organization.
For Littelfuse, the appointment adds an executive who understands how engineering, manufacturing, customer requirements, and business strategy intersect. This knowledge may be especially relevant as the company works with customers operating in industries that increasingly depend on sophisticated electrical and electronic technologies.
Littelfuse operates in more than 20 countries and has approximately 18,000 employees globally. The company serves more than 100,000 end customers, with its products used across industrial, transportation, and electronics applications.
The company describes itself as an industrial technology manufacturing organization focused on empowering a sustainable, connected, and safer world. Its broad customer base and diverse end markets require it to maintain a strong focus on product reliability, innovation, safety, and technological development.
As electrification and connectivity continue to influence industrial and transportation markets, companies such as Littelfuse are facing increasing demand for solutions that can protect electrical systems while supporting more efficient and intelligent technologies. The company’s ability to develop and deliver these solutions depends on engineering expertise, manufacturing capabilities, customer collaboration, and effective global operations.
Kelsey’s background across these areas gives him experience that could contribute to Littelfuse’s strategic discussions. His leadership at Plexus has involved working with customers whose products operate in highly regulated and technically demanding environments. This experience can provide useful perspective on quality, innovation, manufacturing scalability, and customer-focused growth.
His appointment to the Compensation Committee also expands the board’s capabilities in corporate governance. Combined with his previous experience as a public company director and committee chair, Kelsey brings knowledge of the responsibilities involved in overseeing complex organizations at the board level.
Littelfuse expects Kelsey’s appointment to support its ongoing strategic initiatives while contributing to the company’s long-term growth objectives. His experience leading a multinational organization, combined with his technical education and manufacturing background, adds another dimension to the company’s board expertise.
The appointment also reinforces the importance of manufacturing and engineering knowledge at the leadership level of industrial technology companies. As manufacturers adapt to changing customer needs, new technologies, global competition, and evolving market requirements, experienced leaders with both operational and strategic expertise can play an important role in guiding corporate decisions.
With Todd Kelsey joining its Board of Directors and Compensation Committee, Littelfuse gains a leader with extensive experience in global technology manufacturing, engineering, customer services, and corporate governance. His career at Plexus, along with his previous and current board responsibilities, positions him to provide insight as Littelfuse advances its strategic priorities.
Littelfuse, Inc. is a diversified industrial technology manufacturing company serving customers around the world. With approximately 18,000 associates across more than 20 countries, the company develops and delivers innovative solutions designed to improve electrical and electronic system safety, reliability, and efficiency. Its products serve a wide range of applications across industrial, transportation, and electronics markets, supporting customers and end users across numerous industries.
