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QXO hires Honeywell's Ken West as COO
West will be responsible for day-to-day operations at Brad Jacobs-led company
Ken West. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg)
Key Takeaways:
- QXO named former Honeywell executive Ken West chief operating officer, effective September, to oversee day-to-day operations and report to CEO Brad Jacobs.
- The hire supports Jacobs’ push to build North America’s largest building-products distributor after roughly $30 billion in acquisitions since 2024.
- West joins as QXO expands its leadership team and integration efforts, while the company’s shares are down 29% this year.
QXO Inc., the building products conglomerate founded and led by billionaire Brad Jacobs, is hiring a onetime contender for the top job at Honeywell International Inc.
Ken West will join the Greenwich, Con.-based company as chief operating officer in September, QXO said Aug. 24 in a statement, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News. West will report to Jacobs and be responsible for QXO’s day-to-day operations.
West had been considered a potential successor to Honeywell CEO Vimal Kapur, according to people familiar with the matter who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. West spent more than seven years at the company — which operates as Honeywell Technologies following a split with its aerospace business — most recently as president and CEO of its process technology unit, which focuses on industries including oil and gas and petrochemicals. Before joining Honeywell, West spent more than a decade at PPG Industries, rising to global vice president of its packaging coatings division, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Jacobs is looking to build the largest building products distribution business in North America. Since relaunching QXO in 2024, the company has spent about $30 billion buying companies including Beacon Roofing Supply, Kodiak Building Partners and insulation provider TopBuild, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
QXO has made several high-profile personnel moves in the last few years. Ihsan Essaid, the former global head of mergers and acquisitions at Barclays Plc, became chief financial officer in May 2024, and Alec Covington, former chief executive of Nash Finch and chairman of TopBuild, joined the board in July following its acquisition.
QXO shares fell 1.9% at 10:20 a.m. Aug. 24 in New York, while Honeywell declined 1.2%. QXO dropped 29% this year through the Aug. 21 close, though all 17 analysts tracked by Bloomberg that follow the company rate the stock a buy.
QXO ranks No. 61 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
