Joyce McCarthy will become general counsel of Nasdaq-listed Central Garden & Pet Company, effective April 4.
She succeeds George Yuhas, general counsel and corporate secretary, who is retiring from the position after 11 years with the company. In her new role, McCarthy will be responsible for all of Central’s legal affairs including governance, compliance, litigation, enterprise risk management and corporate and commercial transactions.
McCarthy was most recently general counsel and secretary with Ferrara Candy Company, overseeing all legal and compliance matters for the company. Before that, she held multiple positions at Colgate-Palmolive Company, including four years as general counsel of Colgate’s global pet food division, Hill’s Pet Nutrition. She advised on multiple acquisitions and divestitures during her time at Ferrara and Colgate.
Before joining Colgate, McCarthy was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell and was a law clerk to a US district court judge in the Southern District of New York.
Before joining Central in 2011, Yuhas was a partner with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he specialized in commercial litigation. During his more than three decades at the law firm, he worked in areas such as M&A, intellectual property, employment and regulatory matters.
Central CEO Tim Cofer says in a statement: ‘Joyce McCarthy is a highly skilled attorney who brings incredible experience to her new role as general counsel to Central Garden & Pet. As we continue to execute against our long-term central-to-home strategy, we need a strong leader to help us navigate key elements of our growth plans, both organic and via acquisitions. I’m thrilled to have a leader like Joyce as a trusted partner on our journey.
‘I would also like to thank George Yuhas for his 11 years of service and dedication. George has been an incredible leader for the company and has played an integral role in helping Central become the company we are today.’
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
