Douglas M. Baker, Jr

Douglas M. Baker, Jr., is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Ecolab, Inc., a Fortune 500 global leader in cleaning and sanitizing products and services for the food service, food and beverage processing and health care sectors. Based in St. Paul, Minn., Ecolab employs more than 26,000 people globally and serves customers in more than 160 countries.

Career

Baker joined Ecolab in 1989, initially holding various marketing and leadership positions in the U.S. and Europe including vice president and general manager of Kay Chemical Co. a division of Ecolab that provides cleaning and sanitizing programs tailored specifically for the quick food service (fast food) and food retail (supermarket and grocery) markets.

Later Baker became president of Ecolab’s Institutional business sector, which provides cleaning and sanitation products, programs and services to food service, hospitality, healthcare and commercial customers in North America.

Baker was named Ecolab’s president and chief operating officer in 2002, president and chief executive officer in 2004 and added the chairman of the board responsibilities in 2006. Through 2010, Ecolab had grown 49 percent to $6.1 billion and earnings had increased 88 percent to $530 million during his tenure as CEO.

Baker has been recognized one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere magazine in 2007. He was identified as one of the top 50 CEOs under 50 by CEO magazine in 2009, and most recently ranked as one of the top 10 wealth creators also by CEO magazine in both 2009 and 2010.

Before joining Ecolab, Baker spent seven years with Procter & Gamble in various brand management positions.

In addition to his Ecolab responsibilities, Baker serves as a member of the board of directors of U.S. Bancorp.

Community Involvement

Baker is active in the civic life of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.

A member of the executive committee of the Minnesota Business Partnership, Baker works with CEOs from Minnesota’s top companies on initiatives to enhance the region’s quality of life and ensure its competitiveness in the global marketplace. He is chair of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership, a private-public effort focused on job retention, expansion and attraction. And he serves on the executive committee of the Capital City Partnership, dedicated to ensuring the vitality of the City of St. Paul.

Baker also has been involved in early childhood education initiatives through the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, which has recommended cost-effective strategies for preparing children, regardless of socio-economic or ethnic background, to learn in kindergarten – a key foundation for academic success.

In addition to his active community life, he is a member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, the only international forum of business executives exclusively focused on raising the level and quality of corporate philanthropy.

Education

Baker earned a bachelor’s of arts degree from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., where he majored in English.