Ajita G.
Rajendra will then assume the role of president and chief executive
officer.

Paul W. Jones is the new executive
chairman of A. O. Smith.
The
A.
O. Smith Corp. announced that
Paul W. Jones will transition
from chairman and chief executive officer to executive chairman of the corporation,
effective Jan. 1, 2013. In addition,
Ajita G. Rajendra will
assume the role of president and chief executive officer.
In this newly created role,
Jones will continue to lead the company’s board of directors as the executive
chairman and will remain actively involved in the company’s strategy
development, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations and developing
executive talent for the Milwaukee-based water technology company. Jones joined A. O. Smith in January 2004 as president
and chief operating officer and was named to the company’s board of directors in
December of that year. He was named chairman and chief executive officer in
December 2005.
Rajendra, who is currently
president and COO, will assume the role of chief executive and have
responsibility for strategy development and implementation, profitability and
shareholder returns. Rajendra joined A.
O. Smith in February 2005 as president of its Water Products Co. and was named
an executive vice president of the corporation in 2006.
Rajendra
was named president and chief operating officer in August 2011 and was elected
to the company’s board of directors in December of that year. Currently, he also
serves as chairman of the Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration
Institute (AHRI).
“With
our water technology strategy well under way, now is an appropriate time to
transition the chief executive responsibilities to Ajita, who was actively
involved in the development of this strategy,” Jones commented. “In addition,
he is well known and respected throughout the industry and is an outstanding
business person with strategic vision and excellent execution skills.”
Source:
A. O. Smith Links