Divert, Inc. Appoints Bob Watkins as Chief Operating Officer

March 18, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

Watkins takes on new role leading operations and business technology as Divert scales its circular solutions nationwide

Divert, Inc., a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted, announced today the appointment of Bob Watkins to chief operating officer (COO).

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Bob Watkins is appointed as chief operating officer (COO) at Divert, Inc., a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted.

Watkins joined Divert as the company’s chief information officer in January 2024. With a deep understanding of Divert’s solutions and vision, he will now drive operations while continuing to lead business technology. Watkins' focus is on ensuring these two departments work seamlessly, prioritizing safety, customer service, and efficiency.

“Over the past year, Bob’s collaborative leadership has proven instrumental in driving Divert’s growth,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “In this new role, I am confident that Bob will continue to strengthen our operations, deliver better service to our industrial and retail customers, and foster our safety culture company wide. We are well positioned as we scale our infrastructure to 30 facilities nationwide.”

“I’m honored to step into the role of COO at Divert,” said Watkins. “This is both an opportunity and a privilege to continue working alongside our team to strengthen our operations and support the company’s growth. We’ve made meaningful strides, and I’m excited to continue this work with our Divert team and our customers to drive even better outcomes together.”

Watkins’ role at Divert builds on more than 30 years of experience leading business and technology across a range of industries, including medical devices, engineering and manufacturing. His prior roles include chief business and technology officer at Triumvirate Environmental, chief technology and supply chain officer of Surgalign, and other executive positions with Smith & Nephew, Johnson Controls and GE.

For more information about Divert, please click here.

About Divert, Inc.

Divert is a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted through nationwide infrastructure and innovative technologies. Founded in 2007, the company provides an end-to-end solution that leverages data to prevent waste, facilitates edible food recovery to provide to people in need, and transforms unsold food products into renewable energy to power communities. Through this integrated approach to reducing wasted food–Prevent, Provide, Power™–Divert works with customers across the U.S. to reduce wasted food and positively impact people and the environment. For more information on Divert, Inc., please visit www.divertinc.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.