Barry-Wehmiller has announced that Kyle Chapman will assume the role of CEO, effective immediately. He will continue in his current role as president. Bob Chapman, who has served as CEO since 1975, will remain chairman of the board and majority shareholder.

The company has been led by a member of the Chapman family since 1957, when William A. Chapman became president. Ownership transferred to the family in 1963. Bob Chapman joined Barry-Wehmiller in 1969 and became president and CEO following his father’s death in 1976.

“Our primary responsibility is to ensure a business model where the people in our span of care experience meaningful work, feel safe and valued, and are confident in our shared future,” says Bob Chapman. “Throughout Kyle’s time at Barry-Wehmiller, he has added dramatically to that vision. Through this transition, we will continue to work together as father and son, as two stewards of our 12,000-plus team members, to show the world that you can create human and economic vibrancy in harmony.”

Kyle Chapman brings more than 25 years of private equity and operating experience to the CEO role. He began his career at Banc of America Capital Investors, where he completed approximately $300 million in investments across various industries. He joined Barry-Wehmiller in 2009 as co-founder of BW Forsyth Partners, the company’s $850 million hybrid equity firm. From 2015 to 2019, he served as strategic financial advisor to the leadership team, followed by appointments as interim chief financial officer in 2020 and president shortly thereafter.

“I’m honored to lead Barry-Wehmiller and am deeply grateful for the strong foundation my father and his leadership teams established,” says Kyle Chapman. “I’m fiercely committed to building on my dad’s legacy by demonstrating that a company can achieve extraordinary financial strength without compromising its commitment to people. We will show the world that it is possible to be both a model of human-centered leadership and a top-quartile performer. If we continue this trajectory, others will follow—not just because of our performance, but because we’re fulfilling our purpose of building a better world through business.”

In assuming the CEO role, Kyle Chapman outlined several characteristics that define Barry-Wehmiller’s business approach:

• A history of acquisitions with a permanent capital mindset, having acquired more than 145 companies.
• A business model focused on diversified, recurring, and predictable revenue streams in growth-oriented markets.
• A strategy for scaling companies through a deployable business model and leadership culture, contributing to more than 35 years of double-digit annual growth.
• A leadership philosophy centered on human vibrancy, shifting from management to leadership.
• External recognition of its leadership development approach, including features in a Wall Street Journal bestselling book, a Harvard case study, and presentations at the United Nations, Aspen Ideas Festival, and the Vatican.

“Ultimately, I want Barry-Wehmiller to be a source of inspiration—undeniable proof that businesses can achieve sustained, elite performance without sacrificing their humanity. That’s the true measure of success in business,” says Kyle Chapman.

Related: BW Packaging to highlight new equipment at PACK EXPO