Honeywell Chairman chosen as “CEO of the Year”

The award recognizes the transformation of Honeywell under Cote’s leadership over the past decade. During that time, Honeywell has increased sales by 71 percent to $37.7 billion, pro forma EPS1 by 197 percent to $4.48, and delivered a total shareowner return of 240 percent, consistently outperforming the S&P 500 during that timeframe.

Today, Honeywell is a global company, with 54 percent of sales coming from outside the U.S. versus 41 percent ten years ago. Since 2003, Honeywell has made more than 75 acquisitions and 50 divestitures, building great positions in good industries around the world.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized as Chief Executive’s CEO of the Year,” said Cote. “I’m proud of Honeywell’s performance and the terrific returns we’ve provided our shareowners. We’ve transformed Honeywell into a global growth company, led by common initiatives, behaviors, and processes.

“Our ‘One Honeywell’ culture has been a powerful piece of our growth story because people are our ultimate differentiator. Our portfolio has evolved from a largely manufacturing base to today where half of our business comes from software development.

“Our focus on seed planting and re-investing in our businesses, products, and services will continue because it’s working. We’ve achieved a lot over the past decade, but I’m even more excited about our future because the best is yet to come for Honeywell.”

Cote was appointed by President Obama to serve on both the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (commonly known as the Simpson-Bowles Commission) and the U.S.-India CEO Forum.

He’s been a leading voice and Steering Committee member of the Campaign to Fix the Debt and is widely quoted by top-tier media on how debt reduction must continue to be our top priority to grow the U.S. economy at a pace that will create new jobs. In addition to debt reduction, Cote’s outline for an American Competitiveness Agenda includes energy policy, free trade, infrastructure, math and science education, and tort reform.

“Chief Executive Magazine is proud to recognize Dave as CEO of the Year,” said Bob Nardelli, Founder and CEO of XLR-8 and a member of the magazine’s selection committee. “He has led a remarkable transformation at Honeywell, executing on a vision and rebuilding trust and credibility over the past decade. Not only is Dave a respected leader in the business community, but he is also a leading voice for business in Washington.”

Nominations for CEO of the Year were garnered from Chief Executive Magazine’s 124,000 readers. The ten most frequently cited nominations were evaluated and a winner was voted upon by a peer Selection Committee consisting of CEOs from leading global corporations.

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