Global public health and safety organization NSF has announced it is appointing Steve Haan to the position of vice president, water. Haan will succeed Dave Purkiss, who is retiring after 37 years of dedicated service to the organization on April 18.
“We thank Dave for his remarkable contributions to not only NSF, but the entire Water industry,” said Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF. “Dave has played a pivotal role in developing the current industry standards for water safety and launching NSF’s testing and certification services in the U.K., Greater China and Korea. His unwavering dedication to our public health mission has made a lasting impact in improving water safety globally, and we wish him the very best in his retirement.”
With this transition, Haan will assume Dave’s responsibilities, leading NSF’s global water team and its offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Greater China, Korea, India, Dubai and Belgium. In this role, Haan will grow NSF’s water programs that help ensure the quality and safety of products used in municipal and residential drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, water distribution, plumbing, pools and spas.
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“Steve has more than 23 years of experience leading cross-functional teams and delivering exceptional outcomes for clients that operate in the water industry,” added Sancha. “We are excited to welcome him to NSF’s executive leadership team.”
Haan joined NSF in 2024 as vice president of business development, where he identified new growth opportunities for the organization. Prior to NSF, he was a vice president and general manager at Nalco Water, a division of Ecolab providing specialized water treatment, process water treatment and wastewater treatment solutions to industrial customers. He has experience operating different business models, including capital equipment, field service and SaaS businesses. Haan holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt.
“Globally we are facing emerging contaminants in our water, including PFAS and microplastics, requiring products that meet industry standards and work how they claim to,” said Haan. “The need for NSF’s scientific capabilities and independent testing and certification services has never been greater, and I am honored to step into this role and expand Dave’s legacy of improving water quality worldwide.”
NSF’s water division provides risk assessments, testing, inspection and certification services for the water industry from source to tap. NSF facilitated the development of the American National Standards for all materials and products that treat or come in contact with drinking water to help protect public health and the environment and minimize adverse health effects. In 1990, the U.S. EPA replaced its own drinking water product advisory program with these NSF standards.
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