IDEAL Board of Directors Chris Baldwin

CHRIS

BALDWIN

 

CEO

Chris Baldwin serves as CEO of IDEAL Industries, Inc., where he leads enterprise-wide strategy and the long-term vision for global growth. A seasoned senior executive, Chris brings a wealth of leadership experience spanning multi-billion-dollar public corporations and family-owned, privately held businesses. His diverse career reflects a comprehensive understanding of every facet of global business leadership – namely sales/distribution, product development, finance, manufacturing & supply chain, ERP implementation, risk mitigation, and mergers/acquisitions – along with a proven ability to drive financial and operational success around the world.

 

Before joining IDEAL, Chris served as the COO and President of Knoll and then transitioned to become the Group President of MillerKnoll, one of the largest and most influential furniture design companies in the world. During his tenure, Chris successfully navigated the multi-billion-dollar merger of Knoll and Herman Miller into MillerKnoll and contributed to record operational performance for the company’s International Contract segment among other accomplishments.

 

      Leadership begins with curiosity. If we invest in deeply understanding the challenge we are trying to solve and develop clear objectives, we will identify the keys to solving customer problems and positioning our business for strategic growth.

Prior to MillerKnoll, Chris served in several enterprise-wide leadership roles at Kohler Company including President, Kitchen & Bath Americas and President, Global Faucets where his wholesale, digital, and retail growth strategies drove substantial top and bottom-line increases across global markets. Chris also held leadership positions at Siemens, Eaton, and more, building a track record of success with divisional businesses while building a culture of continuous improvement and strong employee engagement.

 

Throughout his career, Chris has built a reputation for effective collaboration with customers, vendors, shareholders, boards, investors, and employees to strengthen performance and exceed organizational goals. Since joining the IDEAL Industries Board of Directors in 2016, Chris played a key role in recruiting new board members, guiding the company through a successful CEO transition in 2019, and mentoring aspiring family directors for service on the board. His governance background also includes service on the boards of several industry organizations relevant to his prior roles.  Chris’ lifelong commitment to giving back is also exemplified through his time and experience with employee resource groups and non-profit foundations focused on giving back to local communities.

 

A firm believer in leading with optimism, gratitude, and curiosity, Chris is passionate about mentoring others, fostering a workplace culture of collaboration and innovation, and embodying the IDEAL values of integrity, kindness, accountability, sustainability, and respect. 

 

Chris holds a BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

THE IDEAL FAMILY