NORWELL, Mass. — Clean Harbors Inc. has announced that Co-Chief Executive Officers Michael Battles and Eric Gerstenberg have joined the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.
“Eric and Mike are talented, proven executives with lengthy track records of valuable contributions to Clean Harbors,” said Alan S. McKim, Clean Harbors founder, executive chairman and chief technology officer. “The first year and a half under their leadership as co-CEOs has been an incredibly successful period for the Company, its employees and its shareholders as we execute our Vision 2027 growth strategy. Their collective insights in the areas of operations, finance, sales and capital allocation further strengthens our Board.”
According to a media release, the company’s board was expanded to 13 members in conjunction with these appointments. Gerstenberg and Battles will both serve as Class III directors.
Gerstenberg, 56, joined Clean Harbors in 1989 and during the past thirty years he has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility throughout the organization. Prior to being named co-chief executive officer, he was the company’s chief operating officer – a position he has held since 2015 – where he had responsibility for the environmental sales and service organization, all of its facilities including incinerators and re-refineries, and oversaw the majority of its workforce. Gerstenberg completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Syracuse University.
Battles, 56, joined Clean Harbors in 2013 as chief accounting officer after a long career in public accounting at Deloitte & Touche, and as a finance leader at PerkinElmer, Inc. He was elevated to chief financial officer in 2016 and became co-chief executive officer in 2023. During his tenure as the company’s CFO he oversaw the entire finance organization, including multiple debt raises and refinancing, as well as taking on some strategic and operational oversight. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Casella Waste Systems Inc.. Battles holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and is a certified public accountant. He also has a Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight issued by the National Association of Corporate Directors and Carnegie Mellon University.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
