The Peakstone Group Adds Managing Director

July 2013.  Cathy Jaros joins The Peakstone Group as a Managing Director focusing on food and consumer products companies.  Cathy has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and strategic corporate development.  Her clients include food and packaged goods, healthy ingredients, technology and manufacturing companies.  She has led engagements for Fortune 500 and smaller companies, public and private companies and has been involved in many cross-border transactions.  Cathy works closely with family and privately-owned companies to explore transition and value maximization opportunities.

Prior to joining The Peakstone Group, Cathy was Managing Partner at First Chicago Advisors and was Managing Director for Amherst Partners where she headed the firm’s food and consumer industry practice groups.  She also Chaired the global food and beverage industry group for IMAP, a fifty-member network of international investment bankers.

Cathy previously served as Vice President of corporate marketing and development for Tribune Company.  She spent nineteen years in the food industry where she held senior strategy and acquisition positions at Kraft and a variety of senior and officer level positions in marketing, general management, venture, and corporate development at The Quaker Oats Company, now part of Pepsi.  She is the former Chief Executive Officer and President of several early stage consumer-focused technology companies.

Cathy earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University with dual concentrations in marketing and finance.  She graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a BS degree.