Honeywell's 8% Growth Leader Hammoud Takes Process CEO Role

For CHROs and talent leaders, Honeywell's dual announcement is less about an org chart and more about readiness: an internal leader with quantified results is moved into a larger mandate while a prepared successor steps into his role. The 2% to 8% organic growth improvement is the performance credential, and seven consecutive quarters of high-single-digit growth and margin expansion prove the playbook. HR teams can read this as a case study in data-driven executive mobility and succession planning.

On August 19, 2026, Honeywell Technologies (Nasdaq: HON) announced a significant realignment at the top of two of its core automation businesses. Billal Hammoud, who has led the Building Automation unit since 2023, will become President and CEO of Process Technology effective October 1, 2026. Juan Picon will succeed him as President and CEO of Building Automation on the same date. Both executives will report to Honeywell Technologies Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur. Ken West, the current head of Process Technology, is departing on August 31, 2026 to pursue an external opportunity. The moves consolidate leadership around proven internal operators at a time when Honeywell is pressing for faster organic growth and higher margins across its automation portfolio.

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For investors, the 2%-to-8% organic growth improvement under Hammoud may serve as a leading indicator for what he could achieve in Process Technology, though the announcement did not provide baseline revenue, growth, or margin data for that unit.

Hammoud's appointment is backed by a quantifiable track record. According to Honeywell Technologies, during his tenure as President and CEO of Building Automation, the business increased annual organic growth from 2% in 2023 to 8% in 2025 and recorded seven consecutive quarters of high-single-digit organic growth and margin expansion. Hammoud's work included shifting the business toward higher-growth markets, establishing a more regional operating structure, and introducing products including Honeywell Technologies Forge Connected Buildings. He also participated in the integration of the company's $4.95 billion acquisition of Access Solutions. Kapur described Hammoud's Building Automation tenure as "one of our clearest examples of accelerated growth, disciplined transformation, customer-centered execution and new product innovation," and cited his experience with strategy, operational execution, and M&A integration as factors in the appointment.

Process Technology is part of Honeywell Technologies' Process Automation & Technology reportable business segment, and the assignment places Hammoud in charge of a different operating environment from Building Automation. Before leading Building Automation, Hammoud was President and General Manager of Smart Energy and Thermal Solutions within Honeywell Technologies Performance Materials and Technologies, where his portfolio included energy management, electrification, and industrial technologies. The company's stated focus for Process Technology is growth and profitability, suggesting that Honeywell expects Hammoud to repeat the playbook he used in Building Automation: regionalize operations, target higher-growth end markets, launch connected products, and integrate acquisitions.

The dual transition also reveals succession depth. By moving Hammoud and immediately appointing Picon, Honeywell avoids a leadership vacuum in either business. Picon's promotion into Hammoud's former role signals that the company had a ready successor, while Hammoud's redeployment shows a willingness to move high-performing executives across business lines. For investors, the 2%-to-8% organic growth improvement under Hammoud may serve as a leading indicator for what he could achieve in Process Technology, though the announcement did not provide baseline revenue, growth, or margin data for that unit.