Clarke appoints new president, CEO

Allen Gent

Allen Gent was promoted to the president and CEO of Clarke, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

He succeeds Lyell Clarke, who will remain chairman of The Clarke Group, ensuring the continuity of the Clarke family’s longstanding ownership interests.

Clarke was the president and CEO of Clarke for nearly three decades. Taking the helm in 1996, he oversaw Clarke’s transformation from a regional mosquito control service into the world’s largest company dedicated to public health vector control innovation. His legacy includes developing groundbreaking mosquito control products like Merus and Natular, recognized with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2010, and Cielo Space Spray in 2018, the first new mode of action chemistry in global vector control in nearly 40 years.

Under Clarke’s guidance, the company also pioneered EarthRight, an environmentally sustainable mosquito control service program utilizing Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)-listed products and reducing carbon footprint through electric vehicles, bicycles, remote surveillance technology and more.

Furthermore, Clarke’s commitment to corporate social responsibility is evident through his establishment of the Clarke Cares Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to saving lives and reducing suffering from mosquito-borne diseases.

Allen Gent, who initially joined Clarke as COO in 2021, “has been instrumental in steering the company toward operational and commercial excellence, as well as playing a pivotal role in shaping the company’s long-term growth strategy, enhancing customer-centricity, fostering innovation, and advocating for industry initiatives crucial for commercial success,” according to the news release.