Dive Brief:

• HVAC equipment manufacturer Carrier Global Corp. named Patrick Goris its new CFO, effective November 16, the company announced Monday. 

• Goris will succeed Timothy McLevish, who stepped into the role one year ago. McLevish will remain with Carrier until his retirement in February 2021 as a special advisor to president & CEO, Dave Gitlin. 

• The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based company filed its IPO six months ago, following a spinoff from its former partner United Technologies Corp. 

Dive Insight:

Goris begins work as demand for commercial ventilation products decline precipitously, as fewer and fewer people fill offices and communal spaces. Carrier’s net sales declined 20% in the second quarter, compared with the same quarter last year.

Goris' appointment could "[set up] Carrier well for changes in commercial air-conditioning systems amid the pandemic, as companies demand more data to monitor air filtration and ventilation," RBC Capital Markets managing director Deane Dray told The Wall Street Journal.

Carrier expects substantial growth in its Healthy Buildings Program initiative, which includes commercial air-quality monitoring services, it shared in recent company statements. Dray referred to the initiative as "the evolution of HVAC," telling the Journal companies in that industry "better have a CFO who has that orientation."

Goris has spent the past 14 years leading finance at AI provider Rockwell Automation, including serving as its CFO since 2017.

"It took a unique opportunity for me to pursue this change," Goris said in a Rockwell statement. "It has been very rewarding to work with [chairman and CEO] Blake [Moret] and the rest of the very talented Rockwell leadership team to build on the company’s long record of innovation."

Gitlin said in the Carrier release, "Patrick is an accomplished finance leader, with over 20 years' experience leading global finance teams and a proven track record as a strategic leader in dynamic environments. His experience in transformation will be invaluable as we continue to drive our growth strategy and position Carrier to deliver significant value for our shareowners." 

"Carrier is an iconic company and a recognized global leader, delivering innovative, sustainable solutions for buildings and the cold chain," Goris said. "I look forward to collaborating with Dave and the talented management team to help drive and deliver sustained growth."

"Over the past year, we successfully transitioned Carrier to a public company in an unprecedented external environment," McLevish said. "[Carrier] has delivered strong performance and is well-positioned for the future. We said in mid-September that 2020 results were tracking to the high end of our outlook and trends have improved further since that time."