Clean Harbors adds co-CEOs to board of directors

Clean Harbors, a Norwell, Massachusetts-based provider of environmental and industrial services, has announced that co-CEOs 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,” says Alan S. McKim, Clean Harbor’s founder, executive chairman and chief technology officer. “The first year and a half under their leadership as co-CEOs has been … incredibly successful for the company, its employees and its shareholders as we execute our Vision 2027 growth strategy. Their collective insights in operations, finance, sales and capital allocation further strengthen our board.”

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 joined Clean Harbors in 1989 and during the past thirty years, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility throughout the organization. Before being named co-CEO, he was the company’s chief operating officer, where he was responsible for the environmental sales and service organization, and all of its facilities including incinerators and re-refineries. He also oversaw the majority of its workforce.

Gerstenberg completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School and received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Syracuse University.

Battles 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 promoted to chief financial officer (CFO) in 2016 and became co-CEO in 2023. During his tenure as the company’s CFO, he oversaw the entire finance organization, including multiple debt raises and refinancings and taking on some strategic and operational oversight.

He is also a member of Casella’s Board of Directors. Battles received a bachelor’s 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.