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This Episode is Sponsored By: BMO
Building an ESG business case for your food company has never been more important as both consumers and investors increasingly align with these principles. Join BMO Harris Bank experts Jonathan Hackett, Marc Khouzami, and Erica Kuhlmann as they explore the near- and long-term risks connected to ignoring ESG trends, and how to capitalize on opportunities.
More About Erica Kuhlmann:
Erica T. Kuhlmann is a Managing Director and Market Executive of BMO Harris Bank’s Food, Consumer and Agribusiness Group. The Food, Consumer and Agribusiness Group focuses on building banking relationships with mid market companies in the industry sector. Erica is a thirty plus year veteran of BMO Financial Group, having served in various leadership roles throughout her tenure at the bank.
She has worked with agribusiness companies, branded and private label food manufacturers, front line commodity processors, protein processors, input suppliers, wholesale distributors and grocery chains throughout her career, providing banking services, capital and advice to companies in the sector.
Erica holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Booth School of Management at the University of Chicago. She is a board member of IFAMA, the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network and Naturally Chicago.
BMO Harris is a full-service corporate bank, providing a complete range of financing alternatives tailored to a company’s unique needs, including syndicate loan facilities, working capital financing, capital expansion financing, and asset securitization. The bank provides customized tools and services to manage a company’s day-to-day capital management, including treasury management services, interest rate risk management, foreign exchange and commodity price risk management.
More About Jonathan Hackett:
Jonathan Hackett is the Co-Head, BMO Energy Transition Group and Head, Sustainable Finance and Managing Director. In these roles he advises clients on opportunities as they navigate the transition to a low carbon economy, supports clients in navigating the impact of ESG on their access to capital, and advises on sustainable financing structures.
Jonathan joined BMO in 2017 as a Managing Director of Strategy in BMO’s Office of Strategic Management where he supported the bank’s Executive Committee on several initiatives including the development of BMO’s purpose statement and commitment framework. He is also a part of the working team on the bank’s efforts to promote Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity with the United Way of Greater Toronto. Prior to joining BMO, Jonathan was a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group and a member of its financial services, strategy and risk practices, supporting clients across North America. His work there included strategies for various Canadian governmental and nongovernmental organizations on innovation, economic development and competitiveness.
Jonathan holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo where he was a doctoral student in residence at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research focused on topology, particle physics and quantum gravity.
More About Marc Khouzami:
Marc Khouzami is a BMO Managing Director, responsible for managing the Impact Investment Fund. The C$250 million Impact Investment Fund is aimed at driving more sustainable outcomes by backing technologies that will help BMO and its clients proactively address sustainability and create positive impact for their stakeholders.
Prior to joining BMO, Marc spent over 11 years at Deutsche Bank Asset Management, serving as a generalist private equity investor focused on sustainability covering a variety of sectors. Additionally, Marc developed and executed financial products to help corporate clients achieve their sustainability goals. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 2009, Marc was at Citi Alternative Investments, where he was responsible for making growth equity investments as part of the Sustainable Development Investments group. Before joining Citi, Marc held various roles in investment banking and corporate finance at Paragon Capital, Oxygen Cable and Lehman Brothers.
Marc chairs the board of directors of Change Machine, a non-profit organization that uses its platform technology to assist the working poor in the U.S. achieve financial security. Marc also serves on the board of NYCEEC, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to financing hard to finance energy efficiency projects in the built environment.
Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Harris Bank
BMO Harris Bank’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group. Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor, every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that can impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation, to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s experienced team of specialists understands the issues affecting your company, and they use that knowledge to develop tailored solutions that address your needs and helps you achieve your vision.
To learn more about how they can help, visit http://www.bmoharris.com/food.
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