ACG NY VIP Corporate Development Officer Roundtable Series

Rita has enjoyed a fascinating career focused on transforming organizations from Fortune 500 to private equity managed, from near bankruptcy to high growth through the Strategy, Finance, Operations, and M&A functions.  Currently, Rita is a Finance Director-Corporate Strategy and Business Development at SouthWest Water, an Infrastructure Investment Fund (IIF) platform company.  Previously, she was Vice President – Corporate Development for Chart Industries (NASDAQ: GTLS), held several roles at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT), including General Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Director of Business Development, and Director of Financial Planning & Analysis.  Throughout her career, Ms. Carroll has completed transactions totaling $6 billion in value.  Her transaction experience includes leading teams in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.  She started her career with GenCorp (NYSE: GY) in increasingly responsible Finance, Operations, and Strategy roles.  

Currently, Rita serves as a Board member for Suburban Water Systems in Covina, CA, and a small private equity firm.  Previously, she has served as a Board member for a private equity platform company and several non-profit and industry organizations.   

Recently she completed Leadership on the Edge: Arctic 2019, a unique leadership development program with 86 leaders from 27 countries.  These leaders combined classroom climate science learning with outdoor trekking in the Norwegian Arctic during the two-week expedition, traveling deep into the Arctic Circle.  The diverse group from business, education, government, and non-profit was accompanied by polar explorer, Robert Swan, OBE, to educate and inspire ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) thought leadership and sustainability practices in business models. 

Rita earned a BSBA degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH, and an MBA from the University of Akron in Akron, OH. 

Stephen Lovass serves as Executive Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development at Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq: NDSN), a $2B revenue diversified precision technology company.  He is responsible for the company’s strategic planning process, M&A and new business integration. In addition, he oversees the company’s minority investment program, focused on early stage technology companies.  Mr. Lovass previously ran the company’s former Industrial Coating Systems segment.

Prior to joining Nordson in 2016, Mr. Lovass most recently served as president for one of the global sensors and controls businesses at Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR), a $21 billion revenue Fortune 200 diversified science and technology company. Prior to this, Mr. Lovass has held senior roles in Strategic Planning, Corporate Development and General Management based in the US, Europe, and Asia. 

Mr. Lovass, a certified public accountant (Australian equivalent), earned a B.S. of commerce from the University of Melbourne (Australia) and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Gustavo is a seasoned financial/corporate development executive with +25 years of experience at multinational corporations, top-notch consulting firms and a leading regional development bank.

At Sodexo he is responsible for acquisitions, divestitures, venture investments, joint-ventures and public-private partnerships across the all business units in the Americas. He served on the Board of Directors of Nana Management Services for 2 years, and is currently a Board Observer at LifeDojo.

Prior to joining Sodexo, he worked for Ernst & Young ("EY") as a Senior Manager in the Transaction Advisory Services practice (McLean, VA office). While at EY, he assisted several financial and strategic investors with acquisitions and divestitures in various industries and countries (e.g., USA, Canada, Mexico, Chile, etc.). He actively participated in Diversity and Inclusiveness initiatives aimed at promoting a diverse workforce and opportunities for minorities.

Prior to EY, he worked for the Inter-American Development Bank where he co-led the implementation of the internal control framework (SOX compliant), re-designed several key reporting processes (e.g., SEC disclosures) and led the implementation of a state of the art investment system to manage a large portfolio of securities (+US$10 billion).

Prior to the IADB, he worked for Arthur Andersen out of the Buenos Aires office assisting several large local and international business groups with a wide range of consulting projects, including but not limited to audit of financial statements (under local and US GAAP), IPO readiness, financial and commercial due diligence, etc.

He graduated from GWU with a Master of Science in Finance, from Instituto para el Desarrollo Empresarial de la Argentina ("IDEA") with a Master of Business Administration and from the University of Buenos Aires with a Bachelor of Accounting (CPA).

He holds an active CPA license in Virginia and is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Daniel Teoh is a managing director in the Transactional Advisory Services practice with CohnReznick Advisory. He has more than 20 years of experience in transactions diligence, restructuring and as a start-up CFO. He also has significant project management experience in carve-outs, post-merger integrations, business consolidations and corporate closures and has operated distressed businesses in retail, construction, child care and hotels.

Daniel leverages this experience to provide his clients valuable insight and seamless advice through the lifecycle of their transactions and businesses. He has performed buy-side and sell-side due diligence projects for transactions ranging from $14 million – $1 billion-plus in a wide range of industry sectors including health and wellness, manufacturing, retail and technology. He was part of a senior transaction team which led a billion-dollar deal for the merger of two listed companies. Additionally, he led a complex cross-border transaction resulting in the acquisition of a $180 million chemical company. He also worked with a public life sciences company on its integration planning process for the acquisition of a carve-out business. This resulted in comprehensive TSAs being developed particularly addressing significant regulatory issues and operational needs.