Weidemanis, Danaher Veteran, to Succeed George R. Oliver
Johnson Controls has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Joakim Weidemanis as Chief Executive Officer effective March 12, 2025, following the Company’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. He succeeds George R. Oliver following a thorough succession planning process.
Oliver, who led the Company’s successful transformation into a pure-play building solutions provider, will continue to serve as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board until July 31, 2025. At that time, he will be succeeded as Chairman by Mark P. Vergnano, who has served on the Johnson Controls Board since 2016. Oliver will remain as an advisor to the Company until Dec. 31, 2025, to provide ongoing support and ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Weidemanis is a seasoned operator with a successful track record in leading global technology-driven businesses and delivering profitable growth. He held several executive leadership roles over his 13-year career at Danaher Corporation, providing him with extensive experience scaling global companies from a foundation of customer orientation, innovation, and efficiency. He most recently served as Executive Vice President, Diagnostics and China at Danaher, where he was responsible for operational leadership of an approximately $15 billion group across eight global technology businesses. Through acquisitions and organic growth, the revenue of Danaher’s Diagnostics business grew significantly over a four-year period during his leadership. Earlier in his career, he held executive positions of increasing operational responsibility at Mettler Toledo and ABB. Weidemanis has lived and worked in the United States, Europe, and Asia over the course of his approximately 30-year career.
“The Board identified Joakim as uniquely suited to lead Johnson Controls during its next chapter of growth as a pure-play provider of comprehensive solutions for commercial buildings,” said Jürgen Tinggren, lead independent director of the Johnson Controls Board. “Joakim’s approach to leading service-oriented businesses aligns well with both the Johnson Controls approach and our end-to-end operating model. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated remarkable ability as an operator of large global businesses, scaling both organically and inorganically, and is adept in shaping product portfolios and leveraging technology to deliver best-in-class financial performance.”
Tinggren continued, “As we have made substantial progress in our transformation, George has set the stage for Johnson Controls to capitalize on the opportunities ahead. On behalf of the Johnson Controls Board, we thank him for his remarkable leadership over the last eight years.”
“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. I look forward to leveraging my experience and the foundation George and the team have built to deliver on the company’s full potential for customers, employees, and shareholders.”
“Joakim is the ideal person to lead Johnson Controls as CEO,” said Oliver. “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.”
About Joakim Weidemanis
Joakim most recently served as Danaher Corporation’s Executive Vice President and Corporate Officer. While at Danaher, he served as President – Videojet from 2011 to 2016, Group Executive & Vice President – Product Identification Platform from 2014 to 2017, and various Executive Vice President roles from 2017 to 2024. Earlier in his career, he served as Head of Product Inspection and Corporate Officer of Mettler Toledo from 2005 to 2011. Joakim joined ABB in 1995, serving in various operating and corporate development roles from 1995 to 2005, most recently as President and Managing Director. Joakim also currently serves as a non-executive Board Member of ASSA ABLOY Group since April 2020.
About Mark P. Vergnano
Mark served as the Chairman of the Board of The Chemours Company, titanium technology, fluoro products, and chemical solutions producer, from July 2021 until his retirement in April 2022. Previously, Mark served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Chemours from July 2015 to July 2021. He served as Executive Vice President, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 2009 to June 2015. Mark joined DuPont in 1980 as a process engineer and held a variety of manufacturing, technical, and management assignments throughout multiple global locations in DuPont’s organization. Mark is currently a director of Waters Corporation, a specialty measurement company. Mark is a former chairman of the board of directors of the National Safety Council, the American Chemistry Council, and the Future of Stem Scholars Initiative. He is the founding chair of the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion at the University of Connecticut.
