Barry-Wehmiller (BW), a 140-year-old, US$3.6 billion-plus global platform of industrial and packaging automation, professional services and life sciences technology, announced that Kyle Chapman will assume the role of CEO, in addition to his existing role as president, effective immediately. Bob Chapman, who has served as CEO since 1975, will continue to serve as chairman of the Board and majority shareholder.
The firm has been led by a Chapman since 1957, when William A. Chapman became President after joining Barry-Wehmiller four years prior. Firm ownership was transferred to the Chapman family in 1963, and Bill’s son, Bob, joined the company in 1969. After Bill’s sudden death in 1976, Bob became president, then CEO and Chairman of the Board. Bob expressed his excitement about passing the torch and witnessing Kyle assume leadership of the family enterprise, reflecting on how his own father passed before he could see him lead and transform the company.
“Our primary responsibility is to ensure a business model where the people in our span of care experience meaningful work, feel safe and valued, and are confident in our shared future,” said Bob. “Throughout Kyle’s time at Barry-Wehmiller, he has added dramatically to that vision. Through this transition, we will continue to work together as father and son, as two stewards of our 12,000-plus team members, to show the world that you can create human and economic vibrancy in harmony.”
Kyle brings over 25 years of private equity and operating experience to the CEO role. His career started at Banc of America Capital Investors, where he completed approximately $300 million in investments across various industries. His tenure with Barry-Wehmiller began in 2009, when he co-founded BW Forsyth Partners — Barry-Wehmiller’s thriving $850 million-plus hybrid equity firm that unifies the best of Barry-Wehmiller’s business strategies, culture development initiatives and long-term orientation with the best aspects of private equity investment.
From 2015–2019, Kyle served as a strategic financial advisor to Barry-Wehmiller’s leadership team, during which Barry-Wehmiller elevated its performance levels and increased its intentionality around living its culture. In 2020, he was appointed Barry-Wehmiller’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, shortly before being named President. With over a decade of experience at Barry-Wehmiller, Kyle’s appointment as CEO represents a natural progression of his deep understanding of the business and the organization’s culture of leadership.
“I’m honored to lead Barry-Wehmiller and am deeply grateful for the strong foundation my father and his leadership teams established,” said Kyle. “I’m fiercely committed to building on my dad’s legacy by demonstrating that a company can achieve extraordinary financial strength without compromising its commitment to people. We will show the world that it is possible to be both a model of human-centered leadership and a top-quartile performer. If we continue this trajectory, others will follow — not just because of our performance, but because we’re fulfilling our purpose of building a better world through business.”
In assuming the CEO role, Kyle Chapman outlined the following proof points of BW as a company that demonstrate its deep commitment to redefining “success” in business:
*History and track record of acquisitions with a permanent capital mindset: BW has acquired more than 145 companies with a perpetual hold mindset.
*Tested and enduring business model: BW will remain focused on diversified, recurring and predictable revenue streams within healthy end markets with GDP+ growth potential.
*Builder and scaler of companies: As an investor, operator and partner, BW drives growth by platform through a deployable business model playbook and approach to fostering human vibrancy through a culture of leadership. This approach enabled BW to realize double-digit annual growth for the last 35-plus years.
*Pioneered new expectations of leadership that center on fostering human vibrancy: BW’s Truly Human Leadership model calls for a paradigm shift from “management” to “leadership” through an approach that centers on enabling and empowering leaders who perform with excellence and care for others.
*Externally validated approach to cultivating leaders: BW’s distinct approach to cultivating leaders has gained global recognition from thought leaders like Simon Sinek and Bill Ury; been celebrated through a Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Everybody Matters; inspired a popular Harvard Case Study; earned its leaders the opportunity to present at the United Nations, the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Vatican; and is being integrated into teaching content at a growing number of business schools.
“Ultimately, I want Barry-Wehmiller to be a source of inspiration — undeniable proof that businesses can achieve sustained, elite performance without sacrificing their humanity. That’s the true measure of success in business,” the new CEO explained.
