Waste Connections Founder Ronald Mittelstaedt Returns As CEO – C-Suite Transitions

There was a surprising uptick in sudden departures of more than a dozen executives leaving with very short notice or in some instances no notice at all. In certain instances such as BuzzFeed, which recently announced that it was shutting down its BuzzFeed news operation to refocus on HuffPost, the departure of the COO makes sense. However we also saw half a dozen CEOs depart suddenly and in the case of Waste Connections (WCN), the departure was announced a day after the CEO had already left.

Welcome to edition 38 of C-Suite Transitions, a weekly series on InsideArbitrage that tracks appointments and departures at publicly traded companies during the prior week. We highlight five appointments and departures each week by picking the largest companies from the full list of management changes.

Sudden Departures

1. GoodRx Holdings (GDRX): On April 25, 2023, co-Chief Executive Officers Trevor Bezdek and Douglas Hirsch informed the company that they would transition from their current roles to serve as Chairman and Chief Mission Officer respectively.
2. Finch Therapeutics Group (FNCH): On April 21, 2023, Finch Therapeutics Group approved the termination of employment, without cause, of Mark Smith and Marc Blaustein, the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, in each case effective May 15, 2023.
3. Whole Earth Brands (FREE): On April 25, 2023, Whole Earth Brands announced the departure of Chief Financial Officer Duane Portwood, effective April 24, 2023, though he will remain employed by the company to assist in a brief transition through April 28, 2023.

Waste Connections (WCN)

Founded in 1997, Waste Connections (WCN) is a waste management company, that offers non-hazardous waste collection, transfer, disposal, and resource recovery services primarily through recycling and renewable fuel generation in the United States and Canada. Waste Connections also provides intermodal services for the movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest. The company offers services to more than eight million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 43 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.

Only plus or premium subscribers can access this post. Subscribe today.