Meet Our Team at Barken Holdings LLC
Kenneth E. Kutcher
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Kutcher continues the successful business legacy of the late Frank Kutcher, Jr., former president and majority-owner of Foote & Davies Printing Co. through Barken Holdings LLC. Prior to this role, Mr. Kutcher held leadership roles as Chief Financial Officer, Managing Director of a leading middle-market private equity firm, and General Manager of a global industrial acetate fibers business.
Mr. Kutcher was the Chief Financial Officer for public and private companies, large and small, with businesses engaged in chemicals, fibers, plastics, packaging, branded consumer products, wholesale distribution, and professional services. His previous company affiliations were Celanese Corp. (formerly Celanese AG), Springs Industries, Inc., Greif, Inc., RelaDyne Inc., and Wellman HoIdings, Inc. As CFO, Mr. Kutcher was responsible for all areas of finance and created significant value by focusing on operations—through sound planning and budgeting, cost controls/reduction, liquidity, and working capital management, and highly effective financial reporting, analytics, and systems. Mr. Kutcher also led debt financings ranging from $20 million to $2 billion, numerous acquisitions and divestitures, cross-border spin-offs, and joint ventures. He was also often tapped to lead integration efforts relating to acquired businesses, and was actively involved in many plant and facility consolidation and rationalization efforts around the world.
Mr. Kutcher was Managing Director at Heartland Industrial Partners, a private equity firm, from 2006 through 2009, where he functioned as a financial operating partner and was responsible for managing the portfolio investments in three industrial and consumer products companies. During his tenure, he was actively involved, along with other firm professionals, in a number of value-creating efforts, including a cross-border merger, activities to expand off-shore manufacturing and cost reductions, a recapitalization, and a Brazilian initial public offering.
Mr. Kutcher also led the industrial acetate fiber business for Celanese in the mid-1990s, substantially increasing market share with key customers and expanding its global presence in Asia and Europe. He has approximately 15 years of “on the ground” experience operating in global markets, particularly Germany, China, Brazil, and Mexico. Mr. Kutcher began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly Coopers & Lybrand). Mr. Kutcher earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (magna cum laude) with a major in Accounting from Seton Hall University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He later attended graduate classes at Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania, and completed the Chemistry for Executives Program at Duke University.
Advisory Council
Superior returns and results are determined by the quality of the investment thesis and operating strategy, followed by a relentless focus on execution. To that end, Barken Holdings has developed an Advisory Council that is comprised of outstanding business and financial leaders who bring “hands-on” industry-specific and operating skill sets to each investment or engagement. Ideally, these professionals remain deeply involved in every investment or engagement from beginning to end.
To inquire about other firm professionals, please contact us.
To be considered for a position at Barken Holdings, please submit your resume.
