Paine Schwartz Partners Adds Steve Bierschenk as a Managing Director

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC, ("Paine Schwartz"), a global leader in sustainable food chain investing, today announced that Steve Bierschenk is joining the firm as a Managing Director on the investment team, effective Monday, September 17, 2018. Mr. Bierschenk comes to Paine Schwartz after 18 years at Monsanto, where he most recently served as a member of the Global Strategy Leadership Team and helped drive the company's competitive strategy, vegetable business strategy and emerging growth platforms.

Kevin Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer and a Founding Partner of Paine Schwartz, said, "We are continuing to bolster the domain expertise and operating experience of our team as we work to capture the significant investment opportunities we see across the food and agribusiness value chain. Steve Bierschenk is an accomplished business leader with more than 30 years of management experience in the life sciences and agribusiness industries. We have known Steve for many years including seeing him in action and are very excited about the significant value he will add to the firm and our investments."

Mr. Bierschenk said, "It is a privilege to join Paine Schwartz and this team of investment and operating professionals that are committed to sustainable food chain investing. I look forward to working closely with the firm to apply my global business experiences to identify compelling investments and enhance the performance of current portfolio companies."

About Steve Bierschenk
Mr. Bierschenk has more than 30 years of management experience in the life sciences and agribusiness industries driving growth and creating operational value. From 2000 until its recent acquisition by Bayer AG, he held a variety of senior management positions at Monsanto. During this time, he led marketing and business development efforts within animal agriculture. He then served as the lead in field seeds for the company's biotechnology trait business and commercial license operations. Prior to Monsanto, Mr. Bierschenk worked for Procter & Gamble from 1992 to 2000, where he held a number of brand management and customer marketing positions within the pharmaceuticals and healthcare category. Before Procter & Gamble, he spent his early career in the animal genetics industry. Mr. Bierschenk earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dairy Science from Iowa State University after being raised on a farm in Iowa. He received his MBA from Syracuse University. 

About Paine Schwartz Partners 
A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that focuses on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors.  The firm's investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies. The firm currently invests through its $893 million Paine Schwartz Food Chain Fund IV, which is solely dedicated to food and agribusiness investing. For further information, see www.paineschwartz.com.

Contacts:
Andy Brimmer / Aaron Palash 
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
+1 212-355-4449

SOURCE Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC