economy
Jack Welch fired him from GE. He became a Fortune 500 CEO 3 years later
David Cote has already had one career most executives would envy. As CEO of Fortune 500 industrial giant Honeywell, he spent 15 years engineering a revival that delivered shareholder returns 150% greater than the S&P 500.
TL;DR
- David Cote led Honeywell as CEO for 15 years, achieving shareholder returns significantly above the S&P 500.
- Cote was unexpectedly removed from his position at GE by CEO Jack Welch.
- After retiring from Honeywell, Cote co-led the acquisition of Vertiv, a cooling company.
- Vertiv faced early struggles, including underpricing equipment and a stock price drop, but has since seen massive growth driven by AI data center demand.
- Cote became heavily involved in Vertiv's day-to-day management, and the company invested in new cooling technologies and acquisitions.