WESTCHESTER, ILL. — Ingredion has named Mark Karns as vice president of corporate development and mergers and acquisitions, effective Dec. 2. In the role, Karns will oversee a combined corporate strategy and M&A function that will help align the company’s growth while also overseeing M&A projects for the company, according to Ingredion.

“Mark is an experienced leader who has driven enterprise-wide impacts through a unique blend of M&A, capital markets and consulting experiences, having held roles in corporate development, investment banking, private equity and strategy consulting,” said Jim Zallie, president and chief executive officer at Ingredion. “He has a proven track record in the valuation and execution of transactions across multiple consumer sectors, including food and beverage, home appliances, outdoor recreation and apparel.”

Prior to Ingredion, Karns most recently was global head of mergers and acquisitions at Whirlpool Corp.

Earlier, he was a director in the global consumer investment banking group at Baird and previously was in strategy consulting at Boston Consulting Group.