Commenting on the appointment, Denis Gasquet, CEO of Veolia Environmental Services worldwide, stated, “We are fortunate to have within our organization a strong and vibrant leader in Richard Burke. As the solid waste market has transformed over the past few years, Richard has delivered the strategic insights and initiatives to build the division and produce strong results for the company. We are confident that Richard will build upon the many successes achieved by Michel to create a more prosperous organization.”
Burke joined Veolia Environmental Services in 1999 as area manager for Southeast Wisconsin and was soon promoted to regional vice president for the Eastern and Southern markets. He was promoted to the president and CEO position in 2007. Prior to joining Veolia, he spent 12 years with Waste Management in a number of management positions. Burke will also continue to manage Veolia ES Solid Waste, Inc. until a new president and CEO is appointed.
“We will miss Michel’s tremendous dedication to our company and to the business of environmental sustainability,” said Gasquet. “He is a true icon within our company as well as our industry. We wish him the best of luck as he moves onto this new and exciting chapter of his life.”
During his long 25 year career with Veolia Environnement, VESNA’s ultimate parent company, Gourvennec held several leading positions. In addition to his role as president and CEO of VESNA, Gourvennec served as deputy CEO of Veolia Environmental Services with direct leadership over North American and some European subsidiaries. He was also president and CEO of Veolia Environnement North America Operations, Inc. (VENAO), the holding company for all Veolia assets in North America. He served as CEO of Montenay Turbo, CEO of Proxima/Domotherm, head of Montenay International (Miami) and CEO of Onyx Northern Europe (London), all Veolia Environnement companies. Prior to joining Veolia Environnement, Gourvennec spent 17 years with Rhone Poulenc, now Aventis.
Denis Gasquet will assume the direct leadership for Veolia Environnement North America Operations, Inc., continuing a strong focus on growing the North American business operations that encompass water, waste, energy and transportation services.
VESNA is a waste management company.
