Mike Lenton has retired from his role at the helm of Australia’s leading independent water specialist HydroChem. After almost six years as CEO of the family-owned national water treatment service provider, the native Queenslander is returning to his home state and a well-earned retirement.

Lenton, who guided the essential services business through the difficult COVID-19 lockdowns, has handed the reins back to owner Nick Duncan.

“Mike did an enormous amount to advance our business during his tenure,” says Duncan. “Aside from growing our business and overseeing some key acquisitions, Mike also delivered some decisive strategic initiatives. These include our Technician Passport continuous learning program and a leadership development framework to help identify and develop HydroChem’s next generation of leaders.”

Lenton brought a high level of technical experience and industry knowledge to HydroChem. He completed an electrical trade apprenticeship in the mining town of Mt Isa before embarking on a career with controls and automation giant Honeywell. For almost two decades he managed a Victorian water treatment company before the move to HydroChem in mid-2020.

In his farewell note to the staff Lenton wrote, “Being the CEO of HydroChem has been the proudest achievement of my career — it has been a privilege that I have never taken for granted, and I have enjoyed every single day of it.”

The incoming CEO says he wishes Lenton all the very best. “He has left a huge footprint on our business that will be evident for a long time to come. After 45 productive years in the workforce, most of them in the water industry, Mike has certainly earned his sunny Queensland retirement.”