Form 8-K

8-K — ECOLAB INC.

Accession: 0001104659-26-058710

Filed: 2026-05-11

Period: 2026-05-07

CIK: 0000031462

SIC: 2840 (SOAP, DETERGENT, CLEANING PREPARATIONS, PERFUMES, COSMETICS)

Item: Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers: Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Item: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Documents

8-K — ecl-20260507x8k.htm (Primary)

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8-K

8-K (Primary)

Filename: ecl-20260507x8k.htm · Sequence: 1

ECOLAB INC._May 7, 2026

0000031462false00000314622026-05-072026-05-07

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) May 7, 2026

ECOLAB INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

1-9328

41-0231510

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

(Commission

File No.)

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

1 Ecolab Place, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code 1-800-232-6522

(Not applicable)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $1.00 par value

ECL

New York Stock Exchange

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On May 7, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Ecolab Inc. (the “Company”) elected Bryce L. Mewhorter to the position of Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller, including to serve as the Company’s principal accounting officer, effective on the first day after the Company files its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2026. Jennifer J. Bradway will continue to serve in her current role as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller until the effectiveness of Mr. Mewhorter’s election. Ms. Bradway will then assume a different position at the Company.

Mr. Mewhorter, age 51, currently serves as Senior Vice President of Finance Global Water, a position he has held since 2019. He joined the Company in 1998 and held positions of increasing responsibility in Institutional and Corporate Planning and Analysis before assuming finance leadership positions as Controller Food Safety Specialties, Controller Global QSR, Vice President of Finance North America Institutional, Senior Vice President of Finance Global Institutional and Senior Vice President of Finance Global Water.

Mr. Mewhorter will participate in the Company’s regular compensation arrangements for executive officers. Additional information about the Company’s executive compensation program can be found in the proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) for the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”).

There are no transactions between each of Mr. Mewhorter (and his immediate family) and the Company that require disclosure in accordance with Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

The Annual Meeting was held on May 7, 2026.

At the close of business on March 10, 2026, the record date for the Annual Meeting, the Company had 282,423,768 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. At the Annual Meeting, 254,343,064 of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock were represented in person or by proxy, which constituted a majority of the issued and outstanding shares on the record date for the Annual Meeting.

The first proposal voted on was the election of 13 directors for a one-year term ending at the annual meeting in 2027 and until the election and qualification of their respective successors. The 13 persons nominated by the Board received the following votes and were elected:

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

BROKER NON-VOTE

Judson B. Althoff

235,680,180

3,084,863

218,537

15,359,484

Shari L. Ballard

235,299,816

3,470,767

212,997

15,359,484

Christophe Beck

221,262,142

15,778,937

1,942,501

15,359,484

Michel D. Doukeris

211,201,442

27,568,414

213,724

15,359,484

Eric M. Green

228,652,042

10,120,865

210,673

15,359,484

Marion K. Gross

234,664,882

4,087,724

230,974

15,359,484

Michael Larson

233,238,427

5,526,931

218,222

15,359,484

David W. MacLennan

225,416,702

12,901,534

665,344

15,359,484

Tracy B. McKibben

229,592,384

9,185,382

205,814

15,359,484

Lionel L. Nowell III

232,823,189

5,877,682

282,709

15,359,484

Suzanne M. Vautrinot

232,689,313

6,088,220

206,047

15,359,484

Julie P. Whalen

238,367,155

403,800

212,625

15,359,484

John J. Zillmer

188,749,720

50,009,354

224,506

15,359,484

The second proposal voted on was the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers disclosed in the Proxy Statement. The proposal received the following votes and was approved:

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

BROKER

NON-VOTE

223,498,878

14,270,233

1,214,469

15,359,484

The third proposal voted on was the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2026. The proposal received the following votes and was approved:

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

BROKER

NON-VOTE

229,960,386

24,171,653

211,025

The fourth proposal voted on was a stockholder proposal regarding an independent board chair policy. The proposal received the following votes and was not approved:

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

BROKER

NON-VOTE

61,882,139

176,312,123

789,318

15,359,484

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

ECOLAB INC.

Date: May 11, 2026

By:

/s/ Youhao Dong

Youhao Dong

Assistant Secretary

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