ST. LOUIS — October 13, 2016 — Barry-Wehmiller is pleased to announce that Julia Kahr, Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group at Blackstone, has joined its Board of Directors.
Since joining Blackstone in 2004, Kahr has been involved in the execution of the company’s investments in SunGard, Encore Medical, DJO Global Inc., Summit Materials and Gates Global Inc., and has extensive experience serving on various boards. Before joining Blackstone, Kahr was a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group, where she worked with companies in a variety of industries, including health care, financial services, media and entertainment, and consumer goods.
Kahr was drawn to Barry-Wehmiller not only because the company is a global supplier of manufacturing technology and services across a diverse platform of industries— including packaging, paper converting, sheeting, corrugating, engineering and IT consulting—but also because of Barry-Wehmiller’s people-centric leadership model and unique culture of care.
“When you are looking to shape the character of the board, you look for competency, along with diversity in age, skills and experience, and historic ties to serving on boards,” said Bob Chapman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Barry-Wehmiller. “When I met Julia, it was clear to me that she is incredibly focused, and also very touched by our culture. I know she will make a meaningful contribution to our future.”
Kahr received an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in classical civilization from Yale University, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is the sole author of Working Knowledge, a book published by Simon & Schuster in 1998.
Privately held Barry-Wehmiller, headquartered in St. Louis, MO (USA), began in 1885 as a small, Midwestern (USA)-based pasteurizer and bottle-washer business. Since 1987, when the company began a robust acquisition strategy, Barry-Wehmiller has experienced significant global growth, acquiring more than 85 additional businesses.