Johnson Controls Appoints Global Products President

Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has named Lei Schlitz as vice president and president, Global Products. In this role, Schlitz will lead the Global Products business, succeeding Jeff Williams who retired earlier this year. She will be based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Schlitz will lead Global Products research and development, product management, and the future roadmap for new production introductions. 

“There is a multibillion-dollar addressable market in front of us, with unconstrained growth opportunities to deliver increased customer value through a wide range of building portfolio products,” said George Oliver, Chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls. “Lei brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role, and she will be an asset to Johnson Controls as we accelerate our solution offerings and leverage our scale to capture this incredible market opportunity.”  

Schlitz joins Johnson Controls from Illinois Tool Works (ITW), where she most recently held the role of executive vice president, Automotive OEM segment. Throughout her 14-year career at ITW, she held a number of progressive roles including, vice president, Research and Development; group president, Global Ware-Wash & Refrigeration Business and Food Equipment, Asia Pacific; and executive vice president, Food Equipment Group.  

Prior to ITW, Schlitz spent 7 years at Siemens Energy & Automation, most recently as the business manager for Emerging Businesses, Residential Product Division. Prior to that, she served as director of Product & Manufacturing Engineering, Low Voltage Group. Earlier in her career, Schlitz spent time at both General Electric and Eaton Corporation.  

Schlitz holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee and a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics from Tsinghua University, China. 

 



About Johnson Controls  

At Johnson Controls, we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.