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James Whitaker

Former Chief Financial Officer · Atwater Foods Holdings

Chicago, IL, US

Three-time CFO across food and consumer products who has integrated 11 acquisitions and led one IPO.

30+ years experienceEnglish

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30yrs

Operating leadership

Senior roles

Areas of expertise

5.0★

From 1 endorsement

What James is known for

James Whitaker has served as CFO of three companies over a 30-year career, most recently at Atwater Foods Holdings, a $1.2B consumer-products platform, where he led an IPO that raised $310M and integrated eight bolt-on acquisitions. Earlier, as CFO of Greenfield Provisions, he restructured the balance sheet and guided the company through a leveraged recapitalization. Across his career he has closed 11 acquisitions and worked with boards, PE sponsors, and public-market investors alike. James now sits on two private-company boards and advises CEOs and CFOs on M&A integration, IPO readiness, and the unglamorous discipline of clean financial controls. He is candid, calm under pressure, and allergic to financial surprises.

Expertise & sectors

Core expertise

M&A integration IPO readiness Financial controls Capital markets Board governance

Sectors

Consumer Goods Food & Beverage

Experience

Chief Financial Officer · Atwater Foods Holdings

2015 — 2024

Chief Financial Officer · Greenfield Provisions

2006 — 2015

Ways to work together

15-min intro

Free

A quick fit check on your situation. James replies directly.

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IPO & Exit Readiness Review

$9,000

A diagnostic of your finance org, controls, and reporting against what public-market and strategic buyers expect, with a staged roadmap to close the gaps.

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What people say about James

“James is the steadiest CFO I've worked with. He took us public without a single restatement and made the board meetings boring in the best possible way.”

HMHelen Marsh · Former CEO, Atwater Foods Holdings

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