Lunch with Vimal Kapur, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell Technologies, at the World Affairs Council of Charlotte

On October 8, 2026, Dr. Roger Tipton, Director of the Performance Materials Laboratory at UNC Charlotte, attended the World Affairs Council of Charlotte (WACC) CEO Series luncheon at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown. The featured speaker was Vimal Kapur, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell Technologies. The program brought together business leaders, policymakers, educators, and globally minded professionals for a direct conversation with one of the executives shaping the future of American manufacturing.

It was a great experience. Kapur has spent the last three years leading one of the most significant corporate transformations in recent industrial history: the separation of Honeywell into three public companies. Honeywell Technologies focuses on automation and industrial controls, Honeywell Aerospace on aviation and satellite technology, and Solstice Advanced Materials on specialty chemicals and materials. Honeywell Technologies alone employs more than 50,000 people worldwide, including about 1,100 here in Charlotte.

What the Conversation Covered

The discussion centered on three themes that matter to anyone working at the intersection of technology and industry:

• Leading a global industrial company through a major portfolio transformation and separation
• The role of automation, AI, and innovation in U.S. manufacturing competitiveness
• Navigating complex global supply chains, regulatory environments, and economic uncertainty

A Conversation That Connects to Our Work

Much of what was discussed lines up closely with the research we do in the Performance Materials Laboratory. Our work in aerospace materials, advanced coatings, and clean water technology depends on understanding what industry actually needs. It was especially meaningful to hear about the creation of Solstice Advanced Materials and the continued focus on aerospace, two areas where materials science sits at the center of the business. Kapur himself once led Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies, where he built a sustainable technologies platform for the energy transition, so his perspective on how materials innovation turns into business value was particularly relevant to our lab.

Having spent 25 years in industry before joining the university, moving from the shop floor all the way to the CEO role, I always appreciate hearing how another leader frames the challenges of running a large organization. Kapur began his career as an electronics engineer and rose through Honeywell over more than three decades. Some lessons never change: the importance of people, the discipline of execution, and the need to keep investing in technology even when the near term is uncertain. Other lessons were new, especially his view of the industrial world moving from automation to autonomy, with systems that make decisions and operate on their own.

What I Took Away

I left the lunch with several clear takeaways. First, innovation at scale requires strong partnerships between industry and universities. Companies need the fundamental research and talent that institutions like UNC Charlotte provide, and universities need industry to help turn discoveries into real products. Second, the global context matters. Decisions about materials, manufacturing, and energy are increasingly shaped by international trade, policy, and supply chains, which is exactly why organizations like the World Affairs Council of Charlotte are so valuable to our community. Third, leadership is about clarity. The ability to explain a long term vision simply and convincingly is what carries an organization through change as large as splitting one company into three.

These are lessons I plan to bring back to my students. Our graduate and undergraduate researchers will be the engineers and leaders of the next generation, and understanding how industry leaders think about automation, AI, and manufacturing is an important part of their education.

Thank You

Thank you to the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for hosting such a thoughtful and well organized CEO Series program, and to Vimal Kapur for sharing his perspective with the Charlotte community. Events like this strengthen the connections between our university, local industry, and the wider world, and I look forward to the next one.

Learn more about the event on the World Affairs Council of Charlotte website.