Jeff Williams, the president of Johnson Controls’ global products business, plans to retire from the company on Aug. 1, the company announced Wednesday.
Williams has been with Johnson Controls for 38 years, including more than 30 years in its automotive business before taking over as president of global products in 2019. He is also credited with co-authoring the Johnson Controls Manufacturing Systems operating system that guides the company’s global operations.
“Jeff has been a phenomenal member of our executive leadership team over the past decades, combining an unwavering will to win with faultless integrity,” said George Oliver, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls. “We thank him for his years of service, and he leaves the Global Products business in fantastic shape, with an amazing opportunity for a new leader to come in and drive forward.”
Williams also previously served as president of JCI’s building solutions business in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America from March 2017 to July 2019. He was vice president – enterprise operations – engineering and supply chain from January 2015 to March 2017, was group vice president and general manager of global seating and supply chain from 2013 to 2014 and group vice president and general manager customer group Americas from 2010 to 2012.
Williams joined Johnson Controls in 1984.
The global products business he is leaving accounts for more than a third of JCI’s roughly $24 billion in revenue. The company said it has launched a global search for his successor. The role’s responsibilities will include directing the fire, security and controls teams and applying machine learning for building detection insights, efficient responses and proactive fault reporting.
“Our aim now, and at the heart of the new role Jeff’s successor will take on, is to maximize the performance of our customer’s buildings; harvesting and applying data insights to optimize every aspect of operations – elevating the performance of human users and equipment, while making environments healthier, more secure and sustainable through lowering energy and water use,” Oliver said.
Johnson Controls is based in Cork, Ireland for tax purposes, and its operating headquarters is in Glendale, Wisconsin.
