GFL Environmental has appointed Allen Gransch as Chief Operating Officer, effective October 1, 2026, expanding the responsibilities of the former SECURE Waste Infrastructure executive following GFL’s acquisition of SECURE.
Gransch joined GFL as Executive Vice President on September 1, 2026, in connection with the acquisition. His elevation to COO places an executive with nearly two decades of waste management leadership experience in charge of a central operating role at the North American environmental services company.
Gransch joined SECURE in 2007, the company’s first year of operations, and held a series of senior leadership positions as the business expanded.
His roles at SECURE included Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and ultimately President and Chief Executive Officer.
During his nearly 20 years with SECURE, Gransch was involved in establishing and executing the company’s strategic direction, overseeing operational execution, navigating significant organizational change and developing leadership teams.
GFL said his experience overseeing a large, diversified waste management platform complements its longer-term operating and growth strategy.
The appointment also results in a leadership transition for Billy Soffera, who had been serving as GFL’s Chief Operating Officer.
Effective October 1, Soffera will move into a senior strategic adviser role. He will continue leading key corporate value-creation initiatives in which he has been involved.
Soffera has spent the past five years helping develop and execute several of GFL’s enterprise-wide initiatives, and the company expects to continue using his experience in those areas.
GFL is the fourth-largest diversified environmental services company in North America. Its platform provides solid waste management services across Canada and 19 U.S. states and employs more than 17,000 people.
KEY QUOTES:
“Allen brings a proven track record of operational excellence that directly complements our long-term growth strategy. Allen joined SECURE in 2007, its first year of operations, serving in key leadership roles over time, including CFO, COO, and ultimately President and CEO. Across his nearly 20-year career at SECURE, Allen was instrumental in establishing and implementing the company’s strategic direction, including leading through transformative change, driving operational execution, and building high-performing teams. Allen’s proven leadership capabilities, extensive experience overseeing a large-scale, diversified waste management platform, and his broad skill set make him exceptionally well-suited to advance GFL’s operational and growth goals.
“Effective today, Billy Soffera will transition from his role as Chief Operating Officer to serve as a senior strategic advisor, continuing to lead our key value-creation corporate initiatives in which he is deeply involved. Over the past five years, Billy has been instrumental in advancing the breadth, depth and overall quality of many of our foundational enterprise-wide initiatives and we look forward to continuing to benefit from his expertise in these areas.”
Patrick Dovigi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GFL Environmental
