Paine Schwartz Partners

Lutz Goedde is a Partner at Paine Schwartz Partners, where he works as an investment professional in the agriculture and food sector, focusing on areas including agricultural productivity, food supply chains, food security, and global agribusiness strategies. He previously led the global Agriculture & Food Practice at McKinsey & Company. Earlier in his career, he was part of the leadership team developing the global agricultural development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and served as CEO of Alta Genetics.

Alex Puglisi is Managing Director - Technology at Paine Schwartz Partners, with over 20 years of experience in agricultural technology and R&D management. Puglisi is a co-inventor of Roundup Ready crop biotechnology and has worked on the development and launch of products including RR and RR2Y Soybean, RR Canola, Bollgard Cotton, YieldGard and SmartStax Corn, and Intacta and Xtend Soybean and Cotton. Areas of focus include R&D investment strategy, venture capital, portfolio management, due diligence, and mergers and acquisitions.

Jonathan Yenni is a Director at Paine Schwartz Partners in New York, where he focuses on control private equity and growth equity investments in consumer, services, and manufacturing companies within the food, beverage, and agriculture industry. He previously served as a Vice President at TZP Group and as an Investment Professional at SLR Capital Partners (formerly Solar Capital Partners), and began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at BMO Capital Markets. Yenni graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emory University's Goizueta Business School with a double major in Finance and Psychology, and earned a degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2020 with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management.

Nina Callahan is a Principal at Paine Schwartz Partners. Her professional focus includes investment in industry-disruptive solutions and the use of markets to address environmental issues.

Betsy Holden is an Operating Director at Paine Schwartz Partners and co-founded Suja Juice and Kopari Beauty. Her work has centered on the consumer products industry, with a focus on health and wellness, and includes experience in business development, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships.

David Italiano is Chief Transformation Officer at Paine Schwartz Partners. His work focuses on private equity portfolio economics, value creation, and performance improvement.

Ed Haft is a Principal at Paine Schwartz Partners. His areas of interest include systematic thinking and the use of markets and investment to address environmental issues.

Emma Born is a Partner at Paine Schwartz Partners, where she works in the agriculture and food sector, focusing on agricultural productivity, food supply chains, food security, and global agribusiness strategies. She previously led the global Agriculture & Food Practice at McKinsey & Company. Earlier in her career, she was part of the leadership team building the agricultural development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and served as CEO of Alta Genetics.

James Brennan is an Operating Director at Paine Schwartz Partners. He co-founded Suja Juice and Kopari Beauty, working in the consumer products industry with a focus on health and wellness. His areas of expertise include business development, entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, event management, and work with nonprofit organizations.

Mollie Stambovsky is Head of Administration at Paine Schwartz Partners, with more than a decade of experience in administrative leadership. In her role, she oversees administrative standards, manages recruitment and retention across the firm, and leads training and compliance initiatives.

Monica Wu is VP of Finance at Paine Schwartz Partners, a middle market fund, where she oversees financial operations, fundraising support, and internal process optimization. She has more than a decade of experience in private equity and venture capital and has worked across funds with assets under management ranging from $1 billion to over $25 billion.

Robert Meyer is the Chief Financial Officer at Paine Schwartz Partners, a private equity firm with over $3.5 billion in assets under management. The firm focuses on sustainable food chain investing and maintains offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.

Stephen R. Padgette is Managing Director - Technology at Paine Schwartz Partners, with more than 20 years of experience in agricultural technology and R&D management. He is a co-inventor of Roundup Ready technology and has worked on the development and launch of crop biotechnology products including Roundup Ready soybean, canola, and cotton, Bollgard cotton, YieldGard and SmartStax corn, and Intacta and Xtend soybean and cotton. His areas of focus include R&D investment strategy, venture capital, portfolio management, due diligence, and mergers and acquisitions.

Oversees ESG strategy across Rabo Investments' portfolio. Has been with Rabobank for over 20 years across business banking, management and sustainability, and is an expert in the circular economy.

Evan Lederman joined JFLCO in 2023 to launch its credit strategy and serves on the Credit Investment Committee. He has nearly 20 years of experience across investing, law, and restructuring, previously co-founding and serving as Managing Partner of L J Capital Management and working as a Partner at Fir Tree Capital Management, where he co-managed credit, restructuring, and special situations investments. He began his career as a restructuring and litigation attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and holds a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from NYU School of Law.

Glenn M. Shor joined J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO) in 2010 and serves as a Managing Partner, sitting on the firm's Management Committee and its Private Equity and Credit Investment Committees. His work covers firm management, capital formation, and the acquisition, oversight, and disposition of private equity and credit investments, along with investment team recruiting. Before JFLCO, he worked in the Private Equity Group at D.E. Shaw & Co., focusing on energy and media, and previously held roles at Providence Equity Partners and Morgan Stanley. He holds a B.S. in finance and international business from the Stern School of Business at New York University.