Microsoft Channel Chief Rodney Clark Lands At Johnson Controls

In his new role, Rodney Clark will ‘lead global sales excellence efforts across the company,’ according to a statement.

Former Microsoft channel chief Rodney Clark has joined Johnson Controls as the company’s vice president and chief commercial officer.

Clark will start the new position June 1, according to a Johnson Controls statement and a post on Clark’s LinkedIn account. Johnson – best known for its offerings around heating, ventilation and facilities management – is officially based in Ireland but has a North American operational headquarters in Milwaukee.

Clark replaces former Johnson Controls Chief Commercial Officer Brian Young, who retired at the end of 2021, according to the statement. Clark will take on some responsibilities from Michael Ellis, Johnson Controls’ executive vice president, chief customer and digital officer, who retires at the end of the year.

[RELATED: Partners To Microsoft: ‘Pick The Right Leader’ To Replace Clark]

CRN has reached out to Clark, Microsoft and Johnson Controls for comment.

What is Rodney Clark’s new job with Johnson Controls?

Clark’s leave from the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant was announced earlier this month. A Microsoft statement described Clark as becoming “an Executive Officer at a publicly traded company that is a great partner to Microsoft.”

“We are actively discussing Rodney’s successor and expect to have a new leader in place by the beginning of our new fiscal year in July,” according to Microsoft. “We look forward to introducing this person at Microsoft Inspire, our annual partner conference on July 19-20.”

Microsoft partners told CRN that they want Microsoft to pick someone with sales acumen and trust in the channel to succeed Clark.

Johnson Controls and Microsoft have long been partners. The two companies have worked together on connected thermostats, digital twins and offerings to make buildings more environmentally friendly through data and artificial intelligence.

Johnson Controls has used Azure, Power BI, Teams and other Microsoft technologies for its connected services suite to make buildings more secure and efficient, according to Microsoft.

In his new role, Clark will “lead global sales excellence efforts across the company” and “lead the Johnson Controls global growth strategy to serve customers and partners through innovative, high-value solutions and service offerings,” according to the Johnson Controls statement.

“I’m delighted to be joining Johnson Controls, they have an incredible team that is driving innovative technology that transforms ordinary buildings into dynamic, healthier, safer spaces for all of us to enjoy,” Clark said in the statement.

He continued: “Adding intelligent cloud and intelligent edge solutions to their traditional offerings creates an enormous opportunity and will help customers address their most critical challenges – including the achievement of sustainability targets with agile, flexible and scalable solutions.”

“I am excited to welcome a proven, strategic leader such as Rodney to Johnson Controls,” Johnson Controls CEO George Oliver said in the statement. “As we deliver on growth platforms such as decarbonization in smart, healthy buildings, Rodney will build on our progress, collaborating with customers on outcome-based solutions and service offerings through OpenBlue, while expanding our market, building scale, capacity and capability.”

Clark started with Microsoft in 1998, according to his LinkedIn account. In his early years with the company, he held various positions, including global sales strategy and business development in Microsoft’s hardware division “managing Development and Engineering teams and Sales Management within OEM Sales.”