March 12 (Reuters) - Industrial conglomerate 3M ( MMM )

on Tuesday said that William Brown will be appointed as chief

executive officer, effective May 1.

Brown, 61, the former CEO of L3Harris Technologies ( LHX ),

will succeed Michael Roman, who will become executive chairman

of 3M's ( MMM ) board on the same date.

"Bill's strong track record as a CEO for a global technology

company makes him the right leader for 3M ( MMM )," Roman said in a

statement.

Brown's appointment comes after the company in January

forecast full-year earnings below Wall Street estimates, citing

a "muted" macro environment.

The company's electronics business in particular, which

makes displays for smartphones and tablets, has been grappling

with the effects of sticky inflation, with customers cutting

back on discretionary purchases, particularly in markets such as

China.

To mitigate this, the diversified manufacturer has rolled

out a major restructuring that includes cutting thousands of

jobs and the spinoff of its healthcare business into a listed

company.

3M's ( MMM ) board waived the mandatory retirement age of 65 years

for Roman and Brown, it said.