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Jul 02, 2021

TreeHouse Foods hires new general counsel

Kristy Waterman most recently worked at DFA Dairy Brands

NYSE-listed TreeHouse Foods has hired Kristy Waterman as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective yesterday.

In her new role, Waterman is responsible for TreeHouse’s legal, compliance and ethics organization and reports to CEO and president Steve Oakland. She succeeds Tom O’Neill, who becomes a consultant focused on continuing litigation and helping the transition of his responsibilities.

Waterman was most recently senior vice president for strategy and chief administrative officer of DFA Dairy Brands, a division of Dairy Farmers of America. Before working at DFA Dairy Brands, Waterman was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary with responsibility for government affairs at Dean Foods Company. She joined Dean Foods in 2014 and held positions of increasing responsibility in the legal department.

Waterman began her career with law firms Gardere Wynne Sewell and Norton Rose Fulbright, where she practiced general and corporate law focusing on M&A, securities, corporate governance and reporting and filing obligations.

‘I am delighted to welcome Kristy to TreeHouse,’ Oakland says in a statement. ‘She is a results-driven leader and brings a wealth of experience across securities, capital markets and [M&A]. Kristy is an excellent fit for the organization, and we look forward to her strong contributions as TreeHouse continues our strategic journey to build a company with long-term sustainable growth and create value for our customers and our shareholders.

‘I also want to express my deep gratitude to Tom for his many contributions to TreeHouse throughout his tenure. Tom has been instrumental in growing and evolving TreeHouse into the organization it is today. He guided TreeHouse in developing a first-class food safety, regulatory and compliance culture, and is responsible for establishing our code of ethics, both of which now serve as foundational elements of our great company.’

TreeHouse describes itself as a leading manufacturer and distributor of private-label packaged foods and beverages in North America.

Ben Maiden

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...