Altus Fire & Life Safety Appoints Cary Wood as President and CEO
Altus Fire & Life Safety has named Cary B. Wood as president and chief executive officer and appointed him to the company’s board of directors. He will assume the role on Dec. 1, 2025.
Wood brings more than three decades of experience in both private equity-backed and public company environments. Most recently he served as CEO and board member of Grede Holdings, a North American manufacturer and supplier of ductile iron castings for the automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway equipment and industrial markets. He rejoined Grede in 2019 after earlier holding leadership positions there between 2004 and 2008, including interim CEO of its predecessor, Citation Corp.
Before his most recent tenure at Grede, Wood was CEO of Sparton Corp. from 2008 to 2016. Earlier in his career he worked for General Motors Corp. and United Technologies in progressive roles across engineering operations and general management. He holds a B.S. from Purdue University, an M.S. from Lawrence Technological University and an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago.
“I am thrilled to join the Altus Fire & Life Safety team which has built a strong reputation as a leader in delivering world-class fire and life safety solutions,” Wood said. “Altus has established an outstanding platform through its commitment to quality service and safety and I look forward to working with the team to build on that success. Together we’ll continue to grow across existing and new markets, strengthen our customer partnerships and deliver best-in-class fire and life safety solutions.”
Nedu Ottih, partner at Apax Partners and a member of the Altus board, said Wood’s leadership and operational experience will help advance the company’s next stage of growth. “Cary’s extensive leadership experience and deep operational expertise make him well-suited to guide Altus through its next chapter,” Ottih said. “As Altus continues to execute on its proven strategy and pursue growth through its core operations and strategic acquisitions, his leadership will further strengthen the company’s position as a leader in fire and life safety.”
Altus Fire & Life Safety has served customers for more than 30 years as a full-service provider of fire and life safety services including testing and inspection, service and repair, drills and training, monitoring, and system upgrades and installations across product categories such as fire alarm, sprinkler and security systems.
In 2024, Apax Partners acquired a strategic stake in Altus Fire & Life Safety from AE Industrial Partners.