DAVID M. COTE

The CEO and chairman and former president of Honeywell International. Cote achieved these positions in 2002, and since then has dealt with asbestos lawsuits, company debt and falling stock prices. He helped Honeywell improve its manufacturing processes and improve its financial position by increasing sales, earnings per share and cash flow. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire and has also served on the board of JP Morgan Chase. Born in 1952, Cote began his career with General Electric in 1974 as a factory laborer and worked his way up to president and CEO of appliances by helping the company cut costs and increase sales, especially in Asia. He joined TRW in 1999 and became its president, CEO and chairman and helped the company improve its manufacturing processes and create a subsidiary, Velocium.