Waters President and CEO Udit Batra Named New Englander of the Year

Waters Staff

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Watch Udit Batra accept the New Englander of the Year Award from Gov. Baker and share his personal perspective on diversity, inclusion and the experiences that shaped him as a leader

On October 26, 2020, Waters President and CEO, Udit Batra, Ph.D was honored by the New England Council, the nation’s oldest regional business organization, with the prestigious “New Englander of the Year” award during their virtual 2020 Annual Celebration.

The New England Council presents the “New Englander of the Year” awards each year to honor residents or natives of the New England states for their commitment and contributions in their fields of work, as well as their leadership and impact on the New England region’s quality of life and economy.

“This year’s honorees have each made valuable and meaningful contributions to addressing some of the biggest challenges facing our region and our nation in 2020,” said James T. Brett, President and CEO of the New England Council.  “From combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting our region’s and our nation’s recovery from the resulting economic downturn; to safeguarding human rights across the country and around the world; to fighting for diversity, inclusion, and equality in our communities and workplaces, each of these honorees has worked tirelessly to make New England a better place to live, work, and thrive.”

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker presented Udit Batra with his award and praised him for his prior work at MilliporeSigma, his leadership as the Chair of the Massachusetts High Technology Council and his ongoing community efforts and activities. “I can’t think of a better recipient who represents the values and importance of New England than Udit Batra,” said Baker.

During his acceptance remarks, Udit Batra touched on many of those aforementioned values. He stressed the importance of addressing inequality and being more inclusive, particularity as a disproportionate amount of minority communities are being impacted by COVID-19.

“During tough times it is even more important to look past our differences to see our similarities. Sometimes it just takes a little compassion to discover them. A little compassion can go along way to removing barriers and creating opportunity and equality,” Batra said.“Diversity is a statement; inclusion is an act. And we must act.”

To view Gov. Baker and Udit Batra’s remarks in their entirety, please click here.

To learn more about Udit Batra and the rest of the New Englander of the Year recipients, please click here.