IoT Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organisation that recognises the top companies, technologies and products in the global Internet-of-Things (IoT) market, today announced that Johnson Controls Chairman and CEO George Oliver is its “IoT Company CEO of the Year” in the 6th annual IoT Breakthrough Awards program.

Johnson Controls is the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings and has been at the forefront of transforming building systems with connected digital technology to accelerate improvements in energy efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainability.

Oliver leads a global team offering the world's largest portfolio of building technology, software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry.

With Oliver at the helm, Johnson Controls introduced OpenBlue, a complete suite of digitally connected solutions that serves industries from workplaces to schools, hospitals to campuses and more. The platform, underpinned by the growth of IoT, includes tailored, AI-infused service solutions such as remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance, compliance monitoring, advanced risk assessments and more.

A core service solution enabled by the OpenBlue platform is OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings, which unites building systems through open digital architecture, including digital twin and dynamic modelling, to optimise building performance.

The mission of the IoT Breakthrough Awards program is to recognise the innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the globe in a range of IoT categories, including Industrial and Enterprise IoT, Smart City technology, Connected Home and Home Automation, Connected Car, and many more. This year’s program attracted more than 3,850 nominations from companies all over the world.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this recognition from IoT Breakthrough. It should go without saying that this award belongs to the entire Johnson Controls team. We are dedicated to working collaboratively to create a culture of innovation that can solve today’s challenges while constantly asking what’s next,” said Oliver. “Sustainability is an integral part of the Johnson Controls vision and we have a special responsibility to be a part of tackling climate change as we build the operating and digital solutions that can address the nearly 40 percent of global CO2 emissions coming from buildings.”

Under Oliver, Johnson Controls was the first S&P 500 industrial company to publish an integrated sustainable finance framework and issue a sustainability-linked bond, furthering Johnson Controls leadership in sustainable finance. Johnson Controls was also one of the first industrial companies to issue a green bond in the U.S. dollar debt capital markets.

In January 2021, Oliver was chosen by Business Roundtable to serve as chair of the organisation's Energy & Environment Committee. Oliver has also testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee during a hearing on “Climate Change: The Cost of Inaction.” In his prepared statement to the committee, Oliver said Johnson Controls has been reporting its emissions and taking action to reduce its footprint for 20 years.

Oliver joined President Joe Biden for the president’s virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. The two-day summit featured world and business leaders, including Oliver, who reiterated that Johnson Controls would do its part to help the US meet its goal to cut emissions by approximately 50 percent by the end of the decade.

Since signing the United Nations Global Compact in 2004, the company has remained fully committed to aligning its operations and strategies with the Compact's Ten Principles. Building on its history of sustainability leadership Johnson Controls has committed to achieving net zero Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2040 – ten years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal. The company aims to cut its operational emissions by 55 percent and reduce customers' emissions by 16 percent before 2030. These ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

Johnson Controls is no stranger to IoT Breakthrough. The company was named "Overall IoT Company of the Year” and "IoT Innovator of the Year" in 2020 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, Johnson Controls was recognised as "IoT Partner Ecosystem of the Year."

For more information on our ground-breaking OpenBlue solutions, please click here.