Industrial machine manufacturer Johnson Controls has appointed Joakim Weidemanis as CEO, effective March 12, 2025.
His predecessor, George R. Oliver, announced his resignation in August last year.
After a five-month search, former Danaher Corporation executive Weidemanis will take the helm.
During his stint at Danaher, Weidemanis grew the company’s diagnostics business through acquisitions and organic growth, taking leadership of an approximately $15 billion group across eight global technology businesses.
Before that, he held executive roles at Mettler Toledo and ABB.
Outgoing CEO Oliver will now serve as non-executive chairman of the board until July 31, 2025. After this, Mark P. Vergnano will take over, having served on the Johnson Controls Board since 2016. Oliver will remain as advisor to the company until the end of 2025.
"As I come to know Johnson Controls, I am energized by its mission-driven culture and strong 140-year legacy of developing market-leading technology and solutions that enable customers to manage their facilities in a smarter, more sustainable, and more productive way," said Weidemanis. "I am deeply passionate about leading global technology-driven businesses that help customers advance their goals and make a meaningful, positive impact on society.”
Oliver added: “Joakim is the ideal person to lead Johnson Controls as CEO. The efforts we have made over the past eight years have transformed Johnson Controls into a simpler, more profitable, and faster-growing company, better able to deliver on our financial and operational objectives. As we build on the momentum from fiscal 2024, I look forward to working with Joakim and the team to ensure a smooth leadership transition and a promising future for Johnson Controls.”
Johnson Controls provides and deploys data center solutions across more than 150 countries. The company acquired Norwegian heat pump provider Hybrid Energy in January 2023 and formed a dedicated data center solutions business in June last year.
Around the same time as Oliver’s resignation was announced, the company sold its Residential and Light Commerical HVAC business to an all-cash transaction to the Bosch Group in an $8.1 billion deal. Since then, Johnson Controls has focused on commercial buildings.
In its fiscal Q1 earnings results, released last week, the company said its sales had increased by four percent, with organic sales increasing by 10 percent. It reported an adjusted free cash flow of $603 million and repurchased 4.1 million shares of common stock for $330 million.
