TreeHouse names ethics lead

Kristy Waterman has been named executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary for TreeHouse Foods.

A leading private brand food and beverage producer in Oak Brook, Ill, Waterman will be responsible for TreeHouse’s legal, compliance and ethics organization and will also serve as corporate secretary. Waterman reports to Steve Oakland, chief executive officer, TreeHouse.

Recently Waterman was the SVP, strategy and chief administrative officer for DFA Dairy Brands, the division of Dairy Farmers of America that acquired a substantial portion of Dean Food.

Waterman also served as SVP, general counsel, corporate secretary and government affairs of Dean Foods and had responsibility for all legal and regulatory matters. She joined Dean Foods in 2014 and held positions of increasing responsibility within the legal department. Waterman began her career in the Dallas offices of Gardere, Wynne, Sewell and Norton Rose Fulbright, where she practiced general and corporate law, with a focus on mergers, acquisitions, transactions, securities, corporate governance and reporting and filing obligations. 

She succeeds Tom O'Neill, who will become a consultant focused on the ongoing litigation with Keurig Green Mountain.

"I am delighted to welcome Kristy to TreeHouse," said Oakland. "She is a results-driven leader and brings a wealth of experience across securities, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. 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."

Oakland added that he wanted to thank O’Neill. "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."