Bill founded The Schawbel Corporation, formed in 1981 through the acquisition of two divisions from The Gillette Company. In 2014, he sold The Schawbel Corporation along with its highly successful ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent business and retained ThermaCELL Heated Products under Schawbel Technologies LLC.
Prior to founding The Schawbel Corporation, Bill held senior management positions with The Gillette Company, including President of Gillette – Japan and President of Braun North America. His marketing and management experience includes significant contributions to many of Gillette’s divisions within the U.S. and internationally, with particular success in the areas of acquisitions and new business development.
Over the past 37 years, Bill created and sold over thirty companies covering a wide array of consumer products – personal care, housewares, hardware, food and drug, and pest control. He has built relationships with quality offshore manufacturers and, through his University of Pennsylvania and MIT connections, a broad and deep network of industry experts. Bill’s in-depth experience and knowledge base are critical competitive factors in the success of Schawbel’s consulting practice.
As a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Bill served his alma mater as a Trustee, Chair of the Board of Overseers for the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Co-Chair of the James Brister Society (Penn’s Diversity Board). Bill is an alumnus of the Boston Latin School where he has served as President of the School’s Foundation and chaired its Capital Campaign Committee.
His passions related to public education, diversity, and entrepreneurship have kept him involved in Junior Achievement for over fifty years, both at the local chapter level as past chair of Junior Achievement of Northern New England, and internationally as a board member of Junior Achievement Worldwide. He was a founding member of the Center for Women & Enterprise, an organization that builds successful businesses through education and training, and EdVestors, a school improvement organization that combines strategic philanthropy, education expertise, and implementation support to help schools create the conditions for change.
Bill also served as vice-chair of the Boston Museum of Science along with overseeing engineering projects for their facilities that required collaboration with global companies such as General Electric Company and Johnson Controls, Inc. Currently, Bill has funded the MOS at School Catalyst Fund to support the vision of the Museum to bring digital education initiatives to students across the globe with a focus on content development, marketing efforts for the program, and technology investments to maximize program reach.
In addition to his accomplishments in the business arena and support of educational initiatives, Bill proudly served his country as a Captain in the U.S. Army.