Kevin Wheeler was
named chairman of the A. O. Smith Corporation board of directors on May 1, 2020 and chief executive officer on September 1, 2018. He has responsibility
for the company’s global business, as well as strategy development and implementation, profitability and shareholder returns.
Prior to becoming chairman and CEO, Kevin was chairman, president and CEO from 2018 to March 2024. He was president and chief operating officer from June 2017 and was responsible for A. O. Smith’s global water heater and boiler operations as well as its global water treatment business. He also oversaw the company’s
global research and information technology functions. Kevin was elected to the A. O. Smith board of directors in July 2017.
Kevin joined A. O. Smith in 1994 as a regional sales manager for the former Water Products Company. In 1999, he was named managing director of A. O. Smith Water Products Company B.V., headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. In that role, he was responsible
for the company’s water heater business in Europe and the Middle East. He returned to the U.S. in 2004 to serve as vice president-international with responsibility for all European and Asian operations. During this time, the company expanded its business
in China and began evaluation of the India residential water heater market.
In 2007, Kevin was named senior vice president and general manager of the U.S. retail business for the Water Products Company. In that position, he oversaw all aspects of the U.S. retail business including sales, marketing, manufacturing, product engineering,
and customer service. In 2011, he was named senior vice president and general manager of A. O. Smith’s largest operating unit – the North America, India and Europe water heating business – and became president of that business in 2013. Kevin began
his career in 1984 at Hoyt Water Heater Company. He also held sales management positions at Bradford White Corporation and American Water Heater Company.
Kevin is a member of the Manufacturers Alliance Board of Trustees. He has served as chairman and an at-large director of the Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). He is a director of Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG). He is a graduate
of the University of Nevada, Reno and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.