Ingredion appoints vice president to lead corporate strategy

Ingredion, a global ingredient solutions company, has appointed a new vice president to lead corporate development and mergers and acquisitions.

Mark Karns, formerly the global head of mergers and acquisitions at Whirlpool Corp., will assume his new role as Ingredion vice president of corporate development and M&A on Dec. 2, according to a news release.

Ingredion, headquartered outside Chicago, processes grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets.

“Mark is an experienced leader who has driven enterprise-wide impacts through a unique blend of M&A, capital markets and consulting experiences, having held roles in corporate development, investment banking, private equity and strategy consulting,” Jim Zallie, Ingredion president and CEO, said in the release. “He has a proven track record in the valuation and execution of transactions across multiple consumer sectors, including food and beverage, home appliances, outdoor recreation and apparel.”

Karns, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, also served as a director in the global consumer investment banking group at Baird.

“I’m excited to bring my knowledge and experience to help drive growth at Ingredion working closely with the company’s leadership and the combined strategy and M&A teams,” Karns said. “I look forward to helping deliver on our winning aspiration to be recognized as the go-to-provider for texture and healthful solutions that ‘make healthy taste better.’”