St. Louis, Missouri based Barry-Wehmiller, the privately held, 141-year-old, $4 billion global platform of industrial and packaging automation, professional services and life sciences technology, has announced that Kyle Chapman has been elected Chairman of the Board.
In this role, Kyle succeeds his late father, Bob Chapman, who led the company for five decades. Kyle has served as President of Barry-Wehmiller since 2020 and as CEO since 2025. His election to Chairman builds upon the foundation established by his father and advances the organization’s commitment to redefining success in business by showing that “it is possible to achieve extraordinary financial strength without compromising your commitment to people,” Chapman explained.
“Barry-Wehmiller is at an inflection point in its history,” said Chapman. “We’re poised for incredible growth. And as we grow, as we redefine success in business, we’re going to attract more talent, complete more acquisitions, develop more leaders and have more influence. People are going to want to adopt our methodology.”
After earning his Bachelor of Science in commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, Kyle’s career started at Banc of America Capital Investors, where he completed approximately $300 million in investments across various industries. In 2009, he co-founded BW Forsyth Partners — Barry-Wehmiller’s $850 million-plus hybrid equity firm. From 2015–2019, Kyle served as a Strategic Financial Advisor to Barry-Wehmiller’s leadership team, and in 2020, he was appointed Barry-Wehmiller’s Interim Chief Financial Officer before being named President later that year.
“In his 15-plus years at Barry-Wehmiller, Kyle has risen to every responsibility placed before him,” said Chet Walker, Board Member, Barry-Wehmiller. “He does not simply carry his father’s name. He carries his father’s conviction, backed by a sharp and tested business mind of his own, and a clear-eyed understanding that our measure of success is not found on a balance sheet alone, but in the lives we touch and the trust we earn. This transition mirrors, in some ways, the one that shaped Bob himself. When Bob lost his father in 1976, he stepped forward and built something extraordinary. We believe Kyle will do the same and we believe Bob knew it, too.”
Bob Chapman, who passed away earlier this year, led Barry-Wehmiller’s transformation from traditional management practices to Truly Human Leadership — a people-centric approach where Barry-Wehmiller team members feel valued, cared for and an integral part of the company’s purpose.
In a blog post following Kyle’s appointment as CEO, Bob wrote, “In Kyle, I see not only the future of Barry-Wehmiller but also the future of business itself — a future where leaders prioritize humanity as much as profitability, where care and compassion are as integral to decision-making as strategy and execution. As he steps fully into this role, I know that our legacy is secure, and I feel an immense sense of hope for what lies ahead.”
