Ecolab CEO Christophe Beck refuses to shrink from complicated and thorny problems.

As the opponents to data centers have grown exponentially, Beck has become a major public spokesman on how to reduce the water and electricity used in the centers.

As Minnesota’s economy has produced slow growth, Beck’s spoken bluntly about needed changes in the state’s business climate, and he’s elevated economic growth strategies through his role as chair of Greater MSP.

As downtown St. Paul’s economy has struggled to bounce back from the pandemic’s negative aftermath, Beck, based in Ecolab’s global headquarters downtown, has formed coalitions with business, nonprofit, and government leaders to tackle homelessness and crime and shape a new economic vision for downtown St. Paul.

Beck’s been engaged in all those activities while simultaneously leading Ecolab, a public company that does business in more than 170 countries and generated $16.1 billion in revenue in 2025.

For his strong civic and business leadership, Twin Cities Business has selected Beck as its 2026 Person of the Year.

He will be honored by Twin Cities Business at an event that runs from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Beck will be interviewed on stage at that event.

During the Dec. 7 event, TCB also will recognize the TCB 100, people expected to play important leadership roles in 2027. In particular, the TCB 100 spotlights individuals who’ll help build the Minnesota economy.

Beck will be profiled in the December/January issue of TCB, which also will include coverage of the TCB 100.

Beck serves as chairman, president and CEO of Ecolab, which has about 48,000 employees worldwide.

Since late 2025, Ecolab completed two large acquisitions that make it a bigger player in the data center ecosystem.

In December, Ecolab acquired Ovivo’s electronics business for $1.8 billion. That Ovivo division, based in Switzerland, developed technologies to provide ultrapure water that’s critical for manufacturing semiconductor chips.

In early July, Ecolab acquired Calgary-based CoolIT so the two companies’ technologies could be combined to efficiently cool the microchips in data centers and dramatically reduce water used in the centers. Ecolab paid $4.75 billion for CoolIT.

Beck is excited about Ecolab’s role in providing new technology to operate data centers in what he characterizes as the right way. “Technology is changing the game,” Beck said in a TCB article that appeared in the June/July issue of the magazine. “A data center that was a huge water user can be an even more powerful data center that uses almost no water.”

As the chair of Greater MSP, Beck offers board direction to an economic development organization focused on expanding medical technology businesses, advancing the use of sustainable aviation fuel, and working within a coalition to define the future of food products.

Beck also serves on the executive committee of the Minnesota Business Partnership. During a July Partnership event, he talked about the importance of growing Minnesota’s economic pie through expanding existing companies and attracting new businesses to the state. He emphasized that businesses look for state business climates where they have “an opportunity to win.” Even though Minnesota has 18 Fortune 500 companies, Beck argues that Minnesota cannot simply rest on its laurels and must accelerate the state’s growth.

Beck travels internationally every year to visit Ecolab employees and customers and take part in dialogue on global issues. But he also is a familiar figure in St. Paul when people are gathering to find solutions to improve St. Paul’s quality of life.

Beck serves on the board of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, and he chairs a homelessness roundtable of nonprofit, public, and business leaders that meets quarterly. He frequently collaborates with two other major downtown St. Paul advocates—Securian Financial CEO Chris Hilger and Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold. When Leipold wanted to become the majority owner of the Saint Paul Hotel, Beck and Hilger agreed their companies would become minority owners. They unveiled their new partnership and hotel renovation plans in May.