Kevin Yost is a Partner at Capitol Peak Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer products industry. At Capitol Peak, Kevin serves on the investment committee responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and determining investments. Kevin also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of one of the firm’s portfolio companies in the food sector.
Prior to Capitol Peak, Kevin was President and Chief Operating Officer – Americas for The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE:WWAV), leading the ~$3.7B America’s business across all operating functions including $1B brands Silk and International Delight, and leading brands Horizon Organic, So Delicious, Vega, Stok, Earthbound Organic and Wallaby. The WhiteWave executive team executed five acquisitions and one China joint venture, culminating in a $12.5B transaction of the company to Groupe Danone (EPA:BN) Paris, France.
Prior to WhiteWave, Kevin was President and Chief Operating Officer of Saputo Dairy Foods, a $2B operating segment of Saputo, Inc. (SAP.TO), Montreal, Canada, a global dairy manufacturer and marketer. Kevin previously was President and Chief Operating Officer of Morningstar Foods an operating segment of Dean Foods (NYSE: DF). Kevin fostered a customer-first culture that helped Morningstar earn Supplier of the Year from McDonald’s USA and Sysco Corp. Kevin and his team led the sale of the business to Saputo (TSX:SAP) for $1.45B. Following the transaction, Kevin and his management team led the post-merger integration.
Prior to Dean Foods, Kevin was Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President of Swift & Company. Swift was a $10B revenue, private equity-owned protein company with U.S. and Australian operations and sales offices throughout Asia and Mexico. The executive team led the Swift carve out from ConAgra Foods, engineered an operational turnaround, culminating in a $1.25B transaction to JBS, S.A., Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Earlier in his career, Kevin held various brand, operating, and general management positions, including Senior Vice President and General Manager at ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG).
Kevin currently serves on the board of directors for EFMB Holdings and Gotham Greens Holdings. He is also an active volunteer serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the University of Nebraska College of Business, and the board of directors of the University of Denver FCA. Kevin holds a B.S. in Business and International Affairs and an MBA in Strategy and Finance from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Kevin and his wife Paige have been married for 31 years and have two children.