A.O. Smith Corp. said Monday that Paul Jones plans to retire as the executive chairman of the water technology company following the company’s annual shareholder meeting in April 2014.
Jones will continue to serve as a member of the board. A.O. Smith president and CEO Ajita Rajendra has been elected by the board of directors to serve in the additional role of chairman. Jones intends to remain active in the Milwaukee-area community serving on several nonprofit boards, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, The United Way of Greater Milwaukee, and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, A.O. Smith (NYSE: AOS) said in a press release. During 2012, he served as co-chair of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee community campaign.
Jones joined A. O. Smith in January 2004 as president and chief operating officer and was named to the company’s board in December of that year. He was named chairman and chief executive officer in December 2005, leading the company until his retirement as CEO in January 2013, when he was named executive chairman.