QXO has appointed Ken West to the role of president and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1. West, who most recently served as the president and CEO of Honeywell Process Technology, will report to CEO Brad Jacobs and assume responsibility for QXO’s day-to-day operations.
“I’m excited to join QXO at this pivotal moment in its growth,” West said. “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.”
West brings more than two decades of experience leading large, complex industrial businesses across operations, strategy, finance, and integration. He joined Honeywell in 2018 and rose to lead three major business segments within six years. He was responsible for the acquisition of Johnson Matthey’s Catalyst Technologies business and helped spearhead its integration.
“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,” Jacobs said. “His leadership will be instrumental as we look to scale our platform and deliver outsized shareholder value.”
A QXO spokesperson said West’s expertise in integration, coupled with QXO’s investments in its technology stack, will make it easier for customers to do business with QXO and enable the company to capture value from its largest financial levers: pricing, procurement, and sales.
Prior to leading Honeywell Process Technology, West served as president and CEO of the company’s energy and sustainability solutions segment, president and CEO of Honeywell UOP, and president of Honeywell advanced materials. In his most recent role with the organization, West helped shape process technology into a more growth-oriented business, according to QXO, including the spin-off of the independent company now known as Solstice Advanced Materials.
West also worked for 13 years at PPG Industries, leading the integration of AkzoNobel Architectural Coatings North America.
QXO is a distributor and installer of insulation and a distributor of roofing products, lumber and building materials, and waterproofing products. The company is targeting $50 billion in annual revenue within the decade through accretive acquisitions and organic growth.
