Colin was born on June 2, 1967, the second of Joe and Becky Sabol’s two sons. He graduated with honors from Hudson Falls High School in 1985, a multiple varsity letter winning athlete and first trumpet in the band. He worked summers, evenings and weekends to help fund his college education, including delivering the Post Star.
In 1989, Colin graduated cum laude from Alfred University with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta and Keramos honor societies for his academic achievements and was Vice President of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He studied abroad at the University of Leeds in England.
Colin began his career at General Electric in 1989 as an Application Engineer and rapidly progressed through the company, working in the U.S., Europe and Asia. During this time, he formed a strong belief that high-performing companies should create value for society, while also delivering outstanding returns to their shareholders. This vision was the impetus for creating GE Water, a $2 billion water treatment business that he formed through acquisitions and then grew as Chief Marketing Officer.
Colin’s passion for driving companies to create both social and economic value led him to accept the role as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for Xylem, a global leader in providing technologies that transport, treat and test water. Colin is proud to be a founding board member of Xylem Watermark, the company’s corporate citizenship and social investment program that provides and protects safe water resources for communities in need around the world. Watermark has improved the lives of more than 2 million people in 25 countries.
In 2013, Colin became President of Xylem’s global Dewatering business, focused on solving global water challenges in the areas of: flood protection, drought management, water reuse and urban resilience.
Colin and his wife Julie are blessed with two children, Lauren and Gavin. He was grateful that he and his brother Keith were inducted into the Wall of Distinction together. To commemorate the occasion, he established the Colin Sabol Scholarship Fund to help the next generation of Hudson Falls Tigers achieve its dreams.