Doug Baker is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ecolab Inc., a Minnesota-based Fortune 500 company that specializes in cleaning, food safety and health protection products and services, and employs more than 26,000 associates worldwide.
Baker's career with Ecolab began in 1989 when he joined the company as a Marketing Manager of Distributor Programs. The following years encompassed key roles in marketing, sales and general management in both the United States and Europe, and leadership positions including Vice President and General Manager of Kay, Institutional Sector President, Chief Operating Officer, and President and Chief Executive Officer. Baker has served as CEO since July 2004, and added Chairman of the Board to his duties in May 2006.
Prior to joining Ecolab, Baker held various brand management positions during his seven years with Procter & Gamble.
Baker serves on the board of directors of U.S. Bancorp. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which is dedicated to attracting, supporting, guiding, training and teaching future foodservice industry leaders. Baker is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a multidisciplinary research consortium that addresses the vulnerability of the nation's food system and aims to reduce the potential for intentional contamination. He is also President of the Minnesota Business Partnership, a member of the Executive Committee of the Capital City Partnership (St. Paul, Minn.), and a member of the Executive Committee of the Minnesota Orchestra. In addition, Baker is a member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), which is the only international forum of business CEOs and Chairpersons exclusively focused on corporate philanthropy.
Baker is a graduate of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., where he majored in English. He and his wife, Julie, and their three children live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.