Honeywell CEO & Chairman Vimal Kapur shares insight on leadership

Looking to apply for an exciting role at Honeywell?

Gain some great context about the company from its Chairman & CEO, Vimal Kapur, who shared his insights on leadership with Fast Company for its Modern CEO series. He discussed how serving in various roles around the world - spanning India, the UK and US - has shaped his philosophy of simplifying for growth and how he leads the company of Futureshapers today.

Whether a supply chain expert, software engineer, engineer, customer service agent, salesperson or a finance professional, Honeywell might just have your dream job.

Honeywell International Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur has spent nearly his entire 35-year career with the company, in various roles and locations. But he didn’t start working at the company’s global headquarters in Charlotte until 2022, when he became its president and chief operating officer. One year later, he was named CEO.

The CEO started his Honeywell career as an account manager in Pune, India which he says has shaped his leadership style. “My empathy for the problems people face on the front line is very high,” he says, adding: “Given that I was on the receiving side of requests from headquarters, I generally bash bureaucracy a lot.”

Keeping it simple

Indeed, Kapur’s one-year tenure as CEO of the technology and manufacturing giant has been notable for his relentless efforts to simplify the business. In 2023, he announced a major realignment of the business around three trends: automation, future of aviation, and energy transition.

The streamlined structure, he says, provides clarity about where employees should focus their efforts. They can shed businesses that don’t align with the three priorities. For example, Honeywell is reportedly considering the sale of its personal protective equipment unit, which makes face masks and other gear. The directive also frees the company to buy assets that enhance the portfolio. Honeywell acquired Carrier Global’s security solutions business to bolster its automation pillar. Plus, it added to its energy transition business with the announced acquisition of a liquified natural gas technology player. “Simplification is the basis of our growth orientation, both organically and inorganically,” says the CEO. “I believe in simplification of everything. Less is good. It makes life easier for everybody, and I don’t have to explain every decision.”

Lessons from the outside

Kapur’s leadership style is common among leaders who have climbed the ranks by working in far-flung locales or outposts.

Having lengthy international experience, he transferred from India to the United Kingdom in 2010 as Chief Marketing Officer of Honeywell Process Solutions before moving to Houston, Texas in 2014 as President of the Process Solutions business. "I always look at everything through the lens of business and the lens of geography,” he says. “How will this sell in Japan? How will it work in Germany? I don’t think the question was asked before.”