Soraya Hlila
Executive Vice President and General Manager, Global Pest at ECL
Executive
About Soraya Hlila
Soraya Hlila is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Global Pest Elimination at Ecolab, leading a data- and AI-driven transformation of a ~$1.0B segment with deployment across 10+ countries and a long-term organic growth ambition of 6–8% while expanding operating income margins toward and beyond 20% . Ecolab’s 2024 company performance context includes organic sales growth of 4%, reported OI margin expansion of 480 bps, and adjusted diluted EPS growth of 28% . Hlila previously led Institutional Europe and corporate strategy roles at Ecolab, and earlier held senior leadership roles at Johnson Controls and Schneider Electric; she holds a bachelor’s in business technics and an MBA in marketing management, with executive education at Harvard Business School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecolab | EVP & GM, Global Pest Elimination | Aug 2024–Present | Leads global AI-powered transformation; segment ~$1.3B revenue and 7,000 associates; scaling connected “Pest Intelligence” for margin expansion and growth |
| Ecolab | SVP, Strategy – Institutional Group | Mar 2024–Aug 2024 | Enterprise selling and strategy alignment across Institutional; prepared for segment transformation initiatives |
| Ecolab | SVP & GM, Institutional Europe | May 2022–Mar 2024 | Led European P&L; drove performance, innovation and growth initiatives |
| Ecolab | VP Global & Corporate Accounts, Institutional Europe | May 2021–May 2022 | Embedded major-account enterprise selling to unlock cross-portfolio opportunities |
| Ecolab | VP Field Sales, Institutional Europe | Sep 2019–May 2021 | Commercial leadership, field productivity, account growth |
| Ecolab (ERG) | Chair, E3 (women’s advancement ERG) – Europe | 2019–2024 | Advanced diversity, equity & inclusion; leadership development tied to growth |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Controls | General Manager, France & Italy | 2017–2019 | Turnaround and growth; culture, productivity and profitability improvement |
| Schneider Electric / APC | Multiple leadership roles (Global Cross-Selling Director; Electrical Channel Mgr EMEA; Data Centre Business Mgr EMEA; Country Leader North Africa) | 2008–2016 | Drove cross-division revenue, channel development, and regional growth initiatives |
Fixed Compensation
| Program Element | Company Policy |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Reviewed annually in February; adjustments effective April; guided to median of size-adjusted market, based on scope, performance, tenure |
| Annual cash incentive (MIP) | Targets set as % of base salary, aimed near market median; payout varies with performance; capped at 200% (CEO example) |
| Long-term equity incentives | Annual grant mix: 60% PBRSUs and 40% stock options; grant values near median for market size |
| Ownership/retention guidelines | Executives must retain net shares until guideline met; CEO retains 100% of net shares, other officers 50%; unexercised options/unvested RSUs/PBRSUs don’t count as “owned” |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for insiders (directors, executive officers, senior management) per Global Insider Trading Policy |
| Clawbacks | Policy to recoup incentives upon misconduct or accounting restatement under Company policy and NYSE Rule 10D‑1; three-year lookback on excess incentive-based compensation |
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual/Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual MIP | Adjusted diluted EPS and other role-specific measures | Not disclosed | Set annually by Committee | Payouts capped at 200% of target; structure maintained in 2024 | Annual cash, paid after year-end |
| PBRSUs (2024–2026 cycle) | Organic ROIC (with relative TSR modifier) | Part of 60% PBRSU / 40% options LT mix | Targets set at grant; max 200% | Framework in place; prior 2022–2024 PBRSUs paid at 100% of target (NEO program) | 3-year performance period; service vesting accelerates pro rata on certain terminations; change-in-control provisions apply |
| Stock Options | Value creation via share price | Part of 60/40 mix | — | Exercisable per plan; certain grants may be out-of-the-money (e.g., noted for NEOs at FY2024 price) | Standard option vesting; exercise windows per plan and termination scenarios |
Note: Ecolab uses company-wide performance frameworks; individual metric weightings for non-NEO executives (e.g., Hlila) are not disclosed in the proxy.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | Not individually disclosed for Hlila in the 2025 proxy’s officer/director ownership table; Ecolab executives and directors as a group held ~1,461,868 shares (~0.5%) as of Mar 11, 2025 |
| Ownership guidelines | Executives must retain net shares until meeting guideline; CEO 6x salary, CFO/President 3x; other officers subject to retention rules; unexercised options/unvested RSUs/PBRSUs excluded |
| Pledging/hedging | Prohibited; options/derivatives only via company plans |
| Clawback | Misconduct/restatement recoupment; NYSE 10D‑1 compliant |
Employment Terms
| Term | Company Policy (applies to elected officers, including NEOs) |
|---|---|
| Change-in-control severance (double trigger) | If terminated without Just Cause or for Good Reason within two years post-CIC: cash lump sum equal to 2x base salary + target annual incentive, plus prorated target incentive for year of termination; outplacement up to 20% of base salary; 18 months health premium subsidy; equity acceleration to target if awards not assumed or upon qualifying post-CIC termination |
| Equity treatment at CIC | If awards are not continued/assumed/replaced, options become fully exercisable for remaining term; RSUs/PBRSUs fully vest with PBRSUs deemed at target |
| Death/disability | Accelerated vesting of options and RSUs; PBRSU service condition deemed satisfied, payout subject to performance goals; extended option exercise window |
| Non-compete/constructive discharge | Separation arrangements negotiated case-by-case (confidentiality and non-compete restrictions typically required) |
Segment Performance under Hlila’s Leadership
| Metric | Q3 2024 | Q3 2025 | 9M 2024 | 9M 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Pest Elimination Sales at fixed currency ($mm) | $301.7 | $322.6 | $852.2 | $912.0 |
| Global Pest Elimination Operating income at fixed currency ($mm) | $60.5 | $67.4 | $167.0 | $174.7 |
| Fixed currency operating income margin (%) | 20.1% | 20.9% | 19.6% | 19.2% |
| Organic sales change (%) | — | 6% | — | 6% |
Additional segment strategy indicators:
- Targeting 99% pest-free environment with connected, AI-powered “Pest Intelligence”; redeploys time away from empty trap checks to value selling and SG&A leverage .
- Market opportunity: ~$15B global commercial market; ~$3B cross-sell potential within existing Ecolab customers; current Pest business ~$1B .
- Deployment footprint: initially 10 countries; near-term scaling focus on North America, with select expansions in China and Europe .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment is strong at Ecolab: MIP anchored to adjusted EPS; PBRSUs linked to organic ROIC with a TSR modifier; caps and clawbacks reduce excess risk-taking, while prohibitions on pledging/hedging support alignment with shareholders .
- Execution confidence: Under Hlila, Global Pest Elimination is improving margins and sales with AI-enabled service transformation; Q3 2025 fixed-currency OI margin rose to 20.9%, and organic sales grew 6%, supporting a path “beyond 20%” OI margin over time .
- Retention risk appears contained by Ecolab’s CIC double-trigger design, ownership retention guidelines, and case-by-case non-compete provisions; however, individual Form 4 activity for Hlila is not present in the available document set—monitor insider filings for selling pressure signals .