Ecolab Fills Important Position

Chris Roberts has been appointed executive vice president and general manager, Global Food and Beverage at Ecolab, the company announced in a recent press release.

“We look forward to putting Chris’s formidable food and beverage expertise to work on behalf of our global customers, who need to produce more food while reducing their environmental footprints,” said Ecolab Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas M. Baker, Jr.

Roberts joined Ecolab in October 2020 as executive vice president of strategic initiatives, following more than 25 years as a leader in the food and beverage industry for organizations including the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill. He brings global experiences leading P&L operations spanning Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

“It’s an exciting time to be in this business,” said Roberts. “Our customers have ambitious goals to become more efficient and operate safely and sustainably. Our team is ready to help them through our expertise, technology and advanced analytics.”

Roberts also served as an expert advisor to private equity organizations in the consumer packaged goods/food industry and most recently was the chief customer officer at Land O’Lakes.

Roberts holds a master’s degree in management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois-Urbana. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and National Black MBA Association, and holds leadership roles in the Women’s Foodservice Forum and Young Life. He also is an active board member of the Meredith Corporation, a media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa.