Career
Molinaroli went to work for Johnson Controls in 1983.[7] He held increasing levels of responsibility for controls systems and services sales and operations, and was Vice President and General Manager for North America Systems and General Manager for the Middle East businesses for Building Efficiency Division.[8]
In January 2007, Molinaroli was president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions Battery. As president of Power Solutions, he oversaw a renaissance within the company’s battery business. During this timeframe, the profitability and topline growth dramatically improved – driven by investments in China, the development of advanced battery technologies and vertical integration into battery recycling and separator technologies. [9]
In January 2013, Molinaroli transitioned to the Johnson Controls corporate office as vice chairman and subsequently replaced Steve Roell as chairman and CEO. [10]
As CEO of Johnson Controls, Alex Molinaroli led the company through significant transformation that continues today.
In 2013, Molinaroli signalled that JCI would "reduce its automotive footprint." During the next two years, JCI sold off portions of the automotive business or spun divisions into new companies. The garage door unit was sold to Gentex with the remaining electronics sold to Visteon, overhead and visors to a new company. Seating was spun out to become Adient. The remaining interior plastic division was sold to YanFeng.[3] In 2016, Johnson Controls International plc was formed through a merger with Tyco International.
Molinaroli retired from Johnson Controls in September 2017.
Following his tenure as CEO, Molinaroli has commented on artificial intelligence governance and institutional oversight. In a 2026 interview, he stated that failures in AI systems are often linked to governance structures, incentives, and organizational culture rather than technical limitations.[11]
