Otis plans Judy Marks’ CEO succession for 2027

Judy Marks will retire as Chair, Chief Executive Officer and President of Otis Worldwide Corporation once the board appoints her successor, the company said on September 15. Otis’s announcement says the successor is expected in the first half of 2027; Reuters reported that the board has begun a search covering internal and external candidates.\n\nMarks will remain in her current role through July 31, 2027. If a successor arrives earlier, she will serve as a senior adviser through that date to support the transition. The board described the move as part of a long-standing succession plan, with Spencer Stuart assisting the search.\n\nA measured handover at Otis\n\nMarks joined Otis nearly nine years ago and has led the company through its period as an independent public company following the separation from United Technologies. The timetable gives the board room to evaluate the next leader without forcing an immediate break with the current operating agenda. It also makes the advisory period part of the design, rather than an afterthought.\n\nThe planned change belongs to the same broader leadership conversation as Munters’ accelerated CEO transition, where the timing of the handover mattered as much as the name of the incoming leader.