Allen Gent Named President and CEO of Clarke

 

“Allen is an exceptional partner who embodies the Clarke values of sustainability, innovation and purpose-driven work as agents of world health benefit,” said J. Lyell Clarke, who named Gent to the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2021. “He’s been a driving force in moving our business toward a higher standard of operational and commercial excellence, and brings vision and passion to how we can elevate and transform global vector control while fostering positive social, community and environmental impact.” 

 

Prior to joining Clarke, Gent led the U.S. Seed and Traits business for BASF, and previously held leadership roles with Bayer CropScience (seed assets acquired by BASF), DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto. Since joining Clarke in 2021, he has championed the design and management of the company’s long-term growth strategy, intensified the organization’s customer centricity and innovation mindset, elevated industry advocacy as a critical enabler for commercial success, and nurtured the company’s health and safety commitments towards a Zero Incident Culture. 

 

J. Lyell Clarke’s tenure as president and CEO of the company spanned three decades, stepping into the role in 1996 when his father, John L. Clarke, Jr. retired. He assumed the Chairman role for The Clarke Group in 2020, following the passing of his mother, Mrs. Mary Kemp Clarke. The family-owned business was started by Lyell’s father and grandfather with one mosquito service truck in a garage in Riverside, Ill., and has grown to include 16 offices serving customers across 4 continents.   

 

J. Lyell Clarke’s legacy as CEO is marked by a steadfast focus on global growth, innovation and sustainability, as demonstrated by the development of OMRI Listed mosquito control products like Merus® and Natular®, which earned the U.S. EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2010; the launch of Cielo® Space Spray in 2018, which at the time brought the first new mode of action chemistry to global vector control in nearly 40 years; the pioneering of EarthRight®, the most sustainable mosquito control service program available for communities, using OMRI Listed products and reduced carbon footprint application methods like electric vehicles, bicycles and remote surveillance technology; and the establishment of the Clarke Cares Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to save lives and reduce suffering from mosquito-borne diseases.

 

“Lyell’s leadership has taken Clarke from a regional mosquito control service and distribution company to the world’s largest company dedicated to public health vector control innovation,” said Gent. “His vision for the company led to groundbreaking partnerships and unprecedented investment in employees and the communities we serve. I look forward to continuing that legacy with his chairmanship.”