Doug Baker joined Ecolab in 1989 and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2004 and chairman of the board in 2006. He retired as chief executive officer at the end of 2020. Under his leadership, Ecolab became the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and vital resources. Baker strongly believes that focusing simultaneously on social, economic and environmental performance is good for society and good for business. During his tenure as CEO, Ecolab gained a global reputation as an innovative leader in sustainability and corporate responsibility, and market capitalization increased by 785% (as of Dec. 31, 2019). In 2014, Baker was named Responsible CEO of the Year by Corporate Responsibility magazine, and in 2016, was awarded the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Award for Ethical and Socially Responsible Business Practices. In 2018, Baker received the Deming Cup for Operational Excellence, and in 2019, he ranked 38th on Harvard Business Review’s list of the world’s best performing CEOs. Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and personalized service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries. In 2019 alone, the company helped its customers conserve 206 billion gallons of water, 28 trillion Btu of energy and avoid 1.5 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Ecolab ranks #7 on Corporate Responsibility’s list of Best Corporate Citizens and #17 on Barron’s list of Most Sustainable Companies. The company regularly appears on Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies and has been named to Ethisphere’s list of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 14 consecutive years. Baker also serves on the board of directors of Target Corporation, on the executive committee of the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and on the board of trustees of Mayo Clinic and his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.