internal
Christophe Beck
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
5 yr
5 reports
Ecolab Inc. ·ECL
Two co-COOs split global markets and businesses
Chemicals · Fortune #274 · Hybrid structure · 48K employees · St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
5
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
5
Avg span
wide
2
Max depth
2 levels
3.6 yr
Avg tenure
80%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$16.1B
Operating income
$2.7B
Net income
$2.1B
Total assets
$24.7B
Shares out
282M
Sourced from Ecolab Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-20 ↗ View on SEC
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Ecolab Inc. organizational chart
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Ecolab operates with a distinctive dual-COO structure, splitting operational leadership between global markets and global businesses. This page maps the executive team, explains the enterprise structure, and analyzes how it compares with peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Darrell R. Brown changed role as Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Markets
Appointed to newly created co-COO role effective April 1, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a Chief AI Officer role to centralize AI, automation, and data-driven product strategy.
- Consolidate dual COO roles Merge the two co-COO roles back into a single global COO to simplify decision-making.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
6 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Christophe Beck
President
Executive
0 yr
0 reports
internal
Scott D. Kirkland
Chief Financial Officer
Finance
5 yr
0 reports
internal
Darrell R. Brown
Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Markets
Operations
4 yr
0 reports
internal
Gregory B. Cook
Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Businesses
Operations
3 yr
0 reports
Margeaux M. King
Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Human Resources
1 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Christophe Beck $17.4M
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
5×Director cash retainer
Directors are required to hold stock equal to five times the annual retainer.
The businesses
How Ecolab Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Global Water
12K employees
Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Businesses (Gregory B. Cook)
Provides water treatment and process solutions to industrial and commercial customers worldwide.
Global Institutional & Specialty
15K employees
Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Businesses (Gregory B. Cook)
Delivers cleaning, sanitizing, and infection prevention solutions across institutional markets.
Finance
2K employees
Chief Financial Officer (Scott D. Kirkland)
Oversees financial strategy, reporting, treasury, and investor relations.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Ecolab’s most distinctive feature is its unusual split COO model, with two co-Chief Operating Officers dividing responsibility between global markets and global businesses.
This structure, formalized in early 2026, sits atop a hybrid enterprise model combining global business units with market-based leadership teams.
The CEO maintains a relatively tight span of control, directly overseeing finance, people, and two operating chiefs rather than a single consolidated operations role. This reflects the company’s scale across water, institutional, pest, and life sciences segments, each with different go-to-market dynamics.
The structure emphasizes internal promotion and long tenure, particularly among operating leaders, reinforcing continuity while allowing regional and business complexity to be handled below the CEO level.
- Split COO model introduced in 2026
- High rate of internally promoted executives
- Chairman and CEO roles combined
The comparison
How Ecolab Inc. stacks up
Compared with other global specialty chemicals companies, Ecolab’s dual-COO structure is uncommon. Most peers consolidate operations under a single COO or distribute P&L ownership directly to segment presidents reporting to the CEO. Ecolab’s approach more closely resembles large enterprise services firms, …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Ecolab Inc. ✓ COO — no CAIO
Air Products — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
Ecolab introduced a dual-COO structure in 2026, splitting operations between global markets and businesses.
- reorgDarrell R. Brown Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Markets
Appointed to newly created co-COO role effective April 1, 2026.
Source - reorgGregory B. Cook Co-Chief Operating Officer, Global Businesses
Appointed to newly created co-COO role effective April 1, 2026.
Source - Date not confirmed departedVictoria J. Reich Director
Announced she will not stand for re-election at the May 2026 annual meeting.
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-20
- CEO
- Christophe Beck
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 3.8 yr
Single COO structure prior to the 2026 reorganization.
Named executive officers (5)
- Christophe Beck - Chairman and CEO since 2021
- Scott D. Kirkland - Chief Financial Officer
- Darrell R. Brown - President and COO since 2022
- Gregory B. Cook - EVP and President, Institutional Group since 2023
- Margeaux M. King - EVP, Human Resources since 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Ecolab?
Christophe Beck has served as Chairman and CEO of Ecolab since 2021.
What type of organizational structure does Ecolab use?
Ecolab uses a hybrid enterprise structure combining global business units with market-based leadership.
How many direct reports does Ecolab's CEO have?
The CEO has five direct executive reports.
How has Ecolab's leadership changed recently?
In 2026, Ecolab introduced two co-Chief Operating Officer roles, splitting operational leadership.
Does Ecolab have a COO?
Yes. Ecolab has two co-COOs, one for global markets and one for global businesses.
Sources
- Form 8-K, Feb 25 2026
- Form 8-K, Feb 23 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Ecolab Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Ecolab Inc. 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Ecolab Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ecolab/MLA 9th
"Ecolab Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ecolab/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Ecolab Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ecolab/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Ecolab Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-20. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000110465926032777/tm2530816-3_def14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ecolab/ · last updated 2026-04-01