Udit Batra took over leadership of Waters Corp., a $2.7-billion laboratory equipment manufacturer, in September 2020 and began to implement a three-phase transformation program to help the company regain its commercial commentum, strengthen leadership and performance management, and align the Waters portfolio for growth.
In 2021, Waters grew sales 18% and hit an operating margin of 30%, helping its stock price outperform life science tools peers, the S&P 500 Health Care Index, and the S&P 500 Index. Despite heading a global company with 20% of its 7,800-employee workforce based in Central Massachusetts, Batra remains engaged locally. He co-hosted a roundtable with State Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Springfield) to bring together leaders from labor, higher education, vocational schools, and government to build short- and long-term solutions to the labor shortage, seeking to drive talent and economic development to the region.
Life sciences and biotechnology has emerged as the marquee industry in Central Massachusetts, and in a short period of time Batra has cemented himself as a leader not only in his industry, but throughout the region’s economy.
What sets the Central Mass. business community apart from the rest of the world? Waters was founded more than 60 years ago, and as a global company we have remained headquartered in Central Massachusetts because of access to a pipeline of talent from some of the nation’s finest trade schools, colleges, and universities, all within a state that supports the life sciences industry like no other.
Philly fan: While I’ve lived in Massachusetts for years, I root for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Eagles (NFL) – teams I became fond of during my time as an undergrad at nearby University of Delaware.
