Honeywell (NYSE:HON) today announced Chief Executive Magazine named Chairman and CEO Dave Cote “2013 CEO of the Year,” an honor that recognizes an outstanding corporate leader nominated and selected by peers. The award will be featured on the cover of Chief Executive Magazine’s July issue and can also be found at ChiefExecutive.net.

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 nd 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.
“Receiving the honor of CEO of the Year is very rewarding,” concluded Cote.  “I’m confident that Honeywell’s future performance will further validate Chief Executive Magazine’s selection.”

Cote received the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from the Foreign Policy Association in 2007, the Distinguished Achievement Award from B’nai B’rith International in 2011, the Asia Society's Global Leadership Award in 2012, and the Peter G. Peterson Award for Business Statesmanship from the Committee for Economic Development in 2012. In 2013, Cote was recognized as one of the World’s Best CEOs by Barron’s magazine, and honored with the Corporate Leadership Award by the TechAmerica Foundation.

Cote’s selection as 2013 CEO of the Year will be celebrated at an event hosted by ChiefExecutive in partnership with NYSE at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, July 25. For more information, go to chiefexecutive.net/2013-ceo-of-the-year-david-cote-honeywell.

About Honeywell

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.