Johnson Controls announced Joe Walicki has been appointed as vice president and president of the company’s Power Solutions business, reporting to R. Bruce McDonald, executive vice president and vice chairman. The company’s board of directors also has elected Walicki a corporate officer. Walicki will lead Johnson Controls’ $6.6 billion Power Solutions business worldwide, replacing Brian Kesseler who has left Johnson Controls to pursue another opportunity as chief operating officer of Tenneco.

“I want to personally thank Brian for his 20 years of service to Johnson Controls and wish him well as he moves on to his new role at Tenneco,” said Alex Molinaroli, chairman and CEO. “Joe Walicki has been an outstanding member of our leadership team for many years, and I have every confidence he will effectively lead the business forward. Energy storage technologies are critical to support the fast growing global market for alternative energy sources and vital to enable many emerging technologies. The global energy storage market is an important growth platform for Johnson Controls.”

Walicki joined Johnson Controls in 1988, beginning with the company’s Building Efficiency Philadelphia branch office, steadily advancing through the field organization in numerous sales, operations and general management roles. He ultimately served as vice president and general manager, Systems, Services and Solutions, North America. Over the past 26 years, Walicki has also played a leading role in many strategic growth initiatives within the company. He was most recently appointed chief operations officer for Power Solutions in July 2014. Walicki holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from LaSalle University.