Douglas M. Baker, Jr

Baker was born in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in 1958. His family later moved to Minnesota after his father, Douglas Baker Sr., accepted an executive position with the Pillsbury Company. Baker grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from West High School. As a high school student, he played ice hockey and initially considered pursuing the sport as a career.

After high school, Baker received a scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He played hockey at Holy Cross until his sophomore year, when bouts of mononucleosis and hepatitis forced him to stop playing. He graduated from Holy Cross in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After graduating, Baker spent the following year in Aspen, Colorado, as a skier before beginning his business 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.

Baker then became 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. From 12/31/2013 to 12/31/2017, Ecolab's sales grew from $3.6 billion to $14 billion, a 268% increase, and shareholder's equity increased 476%.

Baker has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career. Most recently, he was awarded the 2018 Deming Cup for Operational Excellence. He was named to the Forbes Global 2000: Hall of Fame CEOs, and named 2014 Responsible CEO of the Year by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. He also was named one of the world's top CEOs by Harvard Business Review in 2016 (#41) and 2017 (#39) and was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame in 2012.

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 Target Corporation, as a member of the board of trustees of Mayo Clinic, and as trustee emeritus of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. He is a former member of the board of directors of U.S. Bancorp and past member of the board of overseers at the University of Minnesota. He also serves on the board of trustees of the College of the Holy Cross, his alma mater.