Protolabs appoints Suresh Krishna as its new president and CEO
June 3, 2025
Protolabs, with global headquarters in Maple Plain, Minnesota, USA, has announced the appointment of Suresh Krishna as its president and Chief Executive Director, effective immediately.
Krishna succeeds Rob Bodor, who has entered into a consulting arrangement with the company in an effort to facilitate a seamless transition. With Krishna as CEO, the board stated that Protolabs is well-positioned for success thanks to its strategy as a single manufacturing source – from prototyping to production – for product developers, engineers and supply chain teams across the globe.
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Suresh Krishna is an experienced operating executive and business leader with a thirty-year track record of generating profitable growth. He most recently served as president and Chief Executive Officer at Northern Tool + Equipment, a manufacturer and retailer of tools and commercial equipment. In this role, he was said to be instrumental in expanding the company’s customer-centric culture and customer base. He was also noted as the catalyst of accelerating its growth strategy through operational and supply chain optimisations.
Prior to that, Krishna held operations and leadership roles at companies such as Sleep Number Corporation, Polaris Industries and UTC Fire & Security. Krishna holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology (Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India) and a master’s in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Gawlick continued, “Protolabs has started the year strong, and we are pleased to welcome Suresh as the company’s new CEO. With a thirty-year track record of overseeing profitable growth and shareholder value creation at manufacturing companies, we are confident that he has the right skills and experience to build on the company’s positive momentum. He will take Protolabs to the next level by growing our customer loyalty and share, accelerating the execution of our production expansion initiatives and continuing to drive profitable growth through our unique digital manufacturing model. Importantly, Suresh brings fresh perspectives and a talent for implementing innovative growth strategies, which will be key to advancing our winning strategy and delivering results.”
Krishna said, “I’m honoured to join Protolabs as its next CEO. This is an important time as the company works to expand its offerings and gain a larger share of the $100 billion digital manufacturing market. Protolabs has an amazing team, best-in-class production times and a key competitive advantage as the only digital manufacturer that combines in-house digital manufacturing with a network of manufacturing partners. This next chapter for the company is going to be an extraordinary one, and I am thrilled to be leading the talented Protolabs team forward.”
Rainer Gawlick, chairman of Protolabs’ Board of Directors said, “Under Rob [Bodor]’s leadership, Protolabs has expanded its capabilities, enhanced its manufacturing processes, significantly broadened the Protolabs Network and driven business-wide organisational improvements, all to better serve its customers. With the solid foundation that Rob helped establish, the company is well-prepared to enter its next phase of growth. We thank Rob for his dedication to Protolabs and its customers and wish him well in his next chapter.”
Bodor added, “It’s been a privilege to have led the Protolabs team over the past four years. Together, we have advanced the company’s position as a leading prototype manufacturer serving some of the most innovative companies in the world across a range of industries. Core to our success has been our unwavering commitment to quality and our customers, who have rewarded us with their loyalty and business. I look forward to seeing Protolabs continue to advance and achieve its full potential.”
