Education
Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he majored in English. He currently serves on the college"s board of trustees.
Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he majored in English. He currently serves on the college"s board of trustees.
Baker joined Ecolab in 1989, initially holding various marketing and leadership positions in the United States. and Europe including vice president and general manager of Kay Chemical Company 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 junior vice 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 chairman of the board responsibilities in 2006.
Through 2012, Ecolab Sales had grown 215 percent to $11.8 billion and Adjusted EPS had increased 210 percent to $2.98 per share during his tenure as Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, he was named to the Forbes Global 2000: Hall of Fame Chief executive officers, and named 2014 Responsible Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Corporate Responsibility Magazine.
Before joining Ecolab, Baker spent seven years with Procter & Gamble in various brand management positions. He also is trustee emeritus of the National Restaurant Association al Foundation.
Baker is active in the civic life of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota He serves on the executive committee of the Greater Managing Successful Programmes Partnership, a private-public partnership whose mission is to stimulate economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Baker also serves on the board of overseers of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and on the of the executive committee of the Minnesota Business Partnership, an organization of Chief executive officers from Minnesota’s top 100 companies focused on further enhancing the region’s quality of life.
Baker also is a co-chair of the host committee for Super Bowl LII, which will be held in February 2018 in Minneapolis.
In addition to his Ecolab responsibilities, Baker serves as a member of the board of directors of United States. Bancorp and Target Corporation. He is a board member of Parent Aware for School Readiness (PASR), a nonprofit organization to support the statewide expansion of Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System.