Eric Etchart to chair WD-40 Company

Eric Etchart, well known in the crane industry, has been appointed chairman of the board at the WD-40 Company. Photo: The WD-40 Company

Long standing crane man Eric Etchart has been appointed chairman of the board at the WD-40 Company in the USA.

The San Diego-headquartered WD-40 Company is a global brand well-known for maintenance, lubrication and cleaning products used in workshops, factories and domestic applications. In 2023, its 70th Anniversary year, it posted net sales of US$537 million.

On 12 December 2024 Etchart takes over the position from Gregory Sandfort who plans to retire. Sandfort was first elected to the board in 2011 and was chair from 2022.

Eric Etchart told ICST, “I feel humbly proud to serve as chairman of the board of the WD-40 Company.” He joined the board in 2016.

Most recently before that he was president and general manager at the Manitowoc Crane Group from 2007 to 2015 and senior vice president at its parent company, The Manitowoc Company, from 2007 until retirement in 2016. He started in the crane industry in 1983.

Etchart continues as a director at Uperio Group, (formerly the Belgian Arcomet and French Matebat companies) which sells and rents tower cranes worldwide. Etchart also chairs the Group’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) committee.

Over several decades Etchart has held senior management positions in China, Singapore, Italy, France, and the United States.

“I am extremely pleased that the board has chosen to appoint Eric as its next chair. His breadth of international finance, marketing, board, and management experience will provide the company valuable insights as we seek to accelerate our geographic expansion and remain steadfast in our commitment to good corporate governance,” said Steve Brass, WD-40 Company president and chief executive officer.

Eric Etchart, when he was Manitowoc Crane Group president, addressing the audience – in Chinese – at the 2010 China International Crane Summit in Shanghai. Photo: KHL Group