Clean Harbors names Robert Willett as board chairman

Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE: CLH) has appointed Robert Willett as Chairman of the Board, effective immediately, completing a leadership transition first announced in May when founder Alan S. McKim said he intended to retire from the board.

McKim founded Clean Harbors in 1980 and served the company for more than four decades. Willett has been an independent board member at Clean Harbors since 2019. He spent 14 years as Chief Executive Officer of Cognex Corporation, a machine vision systems company, retiring from that role in June 2025.

"Rob has been a valuable member and strong contributor to the Clean Harbors board for the past seven years," McKim said. "I fully expect Clean Harbors to continue to grow and thrive with Rob as Chairman, working closely with our co-CEOs Eric Gerstenberg and Mike Battles to execute our long-term vision."

Willett also serves on the boards of Formlabs, a private industrial 3D printing company, and Allegro MicroSystems (Nasdaq: ALGM). Before joining Cognex, he held roles at Danaher Corporation, including Vice President of Business Development and Innovation, and served as President of Videojet Technologies. He previously was Chief Executive Officer of Willett International Ltd., a coding and marking company that was later sold to Danaher. He holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and an MBA from Yale University.

Co-CEO Mike Battles said Willett's operating experience and understanding of the company's culture would be valuable as Clean Harbors continues to execute its growth strategy. Co-CEO Eric Gerstenberg noted that Willett had contributed to the development of the company's long-term strategy and governance framework since joining the board.

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