Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global provider of ingredient solutions for food, beverage and industrial applications, has announced that Kenneth Escoe has been appointed to its board of directors, effective July 1.
“Kenneth will be a great addition to Ingredion’s board of directors,” said Jim Zallie, chairman, president and CEO, announcing Escoe’s election. “His track record of success leading capital-intensive businesses and transforming complex global operations across a range of commodity and specialty businesses will be a tremendous asset as we navigate our long-term growth strategy.”
T. Kenneth Escoe is executive vice president of Specialty Products at Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), a Fortune 500 global industrial manufacturer, a role he has held since 2020. Since joining Illinois Tool Works in 2014 he has led different commercial and operational functions, including roles in food and beverage packaging with a focus on improving profitability, strengthening execution and building organizational capability.
“Kenneth is a proven, standout leader. His experience working with large food and beverage customers combined with his multifunctional experience in operations, commercial, strategy and M&A will strengthen our Board’s perspectives and decision making,” said Victoria Reich, lead director of the Ingredion board.
Before his ITW tenure, Kenneth co-founded Energy Growth Partners in 2011 and was managing partner through 2014. Immediately prior, as vice president of business development at Apex Tool Group — a $1.4 billion joint venture of Danaher Corporation and Cooper Industries — he led the global M&A program that transformed a $600 million private-label tools manufacturer into a $1.2 billion diversified house of branded tool properties through targeted acquisitions, organic innovation investment and global expansion. His earlier career includes more than six years at Danaher Corporation, where he held commercial and marketing leadership roles.
Kenneth is a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. He also serves on the advisory board of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was recognized by Savoy magazine as one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America in 2018 and 2022.
Kenneth holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
