QXO has appointed Ken West President and Chief Operating Officer, adding an industrial operations executive from Honeywell as the building products company pursues a long-term target of $50 billion in annual revenue. West will join QXO effective September 1 and report to Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs.
He will be responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations.
West joins from Honeywell Technologies, where he most recently served as President and CEO of Honeywell Process Technology.
He brings more than 20 years of experience across operations, strategy, finance, M&A and integration within large industrial businesses.
At Honeywell, West was responsible for the acquisition of Johnson Matthey’s Catalyst Technologies business and led its integration.
He joined Honeywell in 2018 and rose to lead three major business segments within six years.
Before leading Honeywell Process Technology, West served as President and CEO of Energy and Sustainability Solutions, President and CEO of Honeywell UOP and President of Honeywell Advanced Materials.
West also helped shape Honeywell Process Technology into a more growth-oriented business and was involved in the separation of the business now known as Solstice Advanced Materials.
He additionally led Honeywell’s acquisition of Sundyne and oversaw its integration with the company’s automation and digital platforms.
Before Honeywell, West spent 13 years at PPG Industries.
His roles there included Global Vice President of Packaging Coatings and leadership positions spanning operations, integration, planning and finance.
West also led the integration of AkzoNobel Architectural Coatings North America, which helped establish PPG as the world’s largest coatings company.
His appointment comes as QXO continues building a large-scale building products distribution platform through acquisitions and organic growth.
QXO serves an estimated $800 billion market and is North America’s largest distributor and installer of insulation, the second-largest distributor of roofing products, the second-largest publicly traded distributor of lumber and building materials and the largest distributor of waterproofing products.
The company is targeting $50 billion of annual revenue within the decade.
KEY QUOTES:
“Ken is an exceptional operator with the executional rigor to lead QXO’s operations. He has demonstrated an ability to achieve outstanding results across a number of industrial businesses. His leadership will be instrumental as we look to scale our platform and deliver outsized shareholder value.”
Brad Jacobs, Chairman And CEO Of QXO
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to build the preeminent company in the building products industry, and I’m eager to help transform the QXO team’s bold vision into reality.”
Ken West, President And COO Of QXO
