Atlas Holdings Appoints Lynn Utter Chief Talent Officer

Accomplished Business Leader to Assume Newly-Created Role; Will Drive Initiatives to Win ‘War for Talent’

Greenwich, CT – Atlas Holdings announced today the appointment of Lynn Utter to the newly-created role of Chief Talent Officer.  Utter, a national voice in the areas of strategic insight and operational excellence, brings over three decades of senior management experience to her new position.  Working closely with Atlas partners and portfolio company leaders, she will spearhead Atlas’ enterprise-wide effort to win the War for Talent, assisting in sourcing, recruiting, retaining and developing c-suite, board level and Operating Partner talent across the enterprise.

Founded in 2002, Atlas Holdings is a private investment firm focused on acquiring and improving underperforming industrial businesses.  It recently closed its third private equity investment fund, Atlas Capital Resources III LP.  Its 17 portfolio companies employ over 21,000 associates and operate more than 200 locations around the globe.

“Securing an executive of Lynn’s caliber further differentiates our organization, bringing a uniquely-skilled and experienced resource to our effort to win the War for Talent,” said Atlas Co-Founder Andrew M. Bursky.  “She will help us continue to be an organization with a great culture, one that does consistently superior work while making a positive impact on the many constituencies we serve.  Lynn has decades of experience building and leading exceptional teams and a passion for mentoring and developing talent at all levels of an organization.  She’s the ideal fit for this mission-critical role.”

“At the core of Atlas has always been our people, the professionals who exemplify our values and help us build great industrial businesses,” said Timothy J. Fazio, Co-Founder of Atlas Holdings.  “Lynn has been a leader at each stop on her career journey.  In this new role, she will be a magnet for superior talent, helping our teams identify, recruit and develop our next generation of great people.”

“Atlas recognizes that ‘human capital’ is the most important kind when it comes to creating Performance Organizations.  By focusing daily on talent, we will strengthen our companies today and develop the pipeline of exceptional people we will need to continue to outperform the competition in the years ahead,” said Utter.  “To be able to work with such high-caliber people at Atlas is a privilege.  This role combines two of my greatest passions; helping to develop high-performing executive teams and mentoring individuals as they advance in their professional journeys.”

Utter most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of First Source LLC, the largest packager and distributor of candy and specialty foods in the United States.  Prior to that, she served as global President and Chief Operating Officer of Knoll Office and Chief Strategy Officer of Coors Brewing Company.  She currently serves as an Independent Director for two Fortune 500 companies, WESCO International, a Pittsburgh based industrial distribution company, and Philadelphia-based Lincoln Financial Corporation.

Utter has been part of the Atlas family for several years.  She is Chair of the Board of Managers for Atlas portfolio company Merchants Metals and serves as the Executive Director of the Atlas Leadership Academy (“ALA”).  Founded in 2015, the ALA is a signature program for Atlas, a year-long initiative aimed at identifying, rewarding and developing Atlas’ high potential leaders.  The curriculum, created and implemented by Utter, develops specific skills needed to transform and strengthen our businesses and improve the Atlas leadership pipeline.

She has also served on a myriad of not-for-profit boards, including the Board of Overseers for the Henry Crown Fellowship at The Aspen Institute, The University of Texas and United Way.  An inductee of the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, she has twice been recognized as a recipient of Stanford University’s Award of Merit.  Utter received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas and earned an MBA from Stanford University.