Since the recent passing of CEO Tom Giacomini, JBT Corporation had asked Brian Deck to fill in as interim president and CEO. On December 14th, JBT made it official. Brian Deck has been appointed president and chief executive officer. He has also been elected to the Board of Directors. Deck has served as interim president and CEO of JBT since June 2020 and previously served as the Company’s chief financial officer since 2014.
JBT also announced that Matthew Meister has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer. Meister has served as interim CFO of JBT since September 2020 and previously served as vice president and CFO for JBT Protein since 2019.
“Since joining JBT in 2014, and particularly as interim CEO over the last several months, Brian has been instrumental in delivering strong financial and operational results while ensuring both our employees’ safety and customers’ satisfaction,” says Alan Feldman, JBT’s chairman. “Brian has a demonstrated track record of respected leadership and success over the past seven years as CFO at JBT. During his tenure, JBT delivered shareholder returns more than three times that of the Russell 2000 Index. Brian played an instrumental role in the development of JBT’s strategy, enhanced the portfolio with more than $1 billion of capital deployment with the completion of 16 acquisitions, and played a key leadership role in the Company’s margin enhancement efforts. Brian has a compelling vision for the future of JBT and has earned the Board’s enthusiastic support. We look forward to working with Brian in leading JBT through its next phase of growth.”
“I would like to thank JBT’s Board of Directors for its confidence in me and the leadership team as we position JBT for continued growth and success,” says CEO Deck. “I would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank my JBT colleagues for their dedication and hard work. Amidst a challenging operating environment given the pandemic, our team has relentlessly delivered for our customers. JBT has a bright future and I look forward to building on our strong momentum. Moving forward, JBT will remain focused on delivering exceptional products and services to our customers and sustainable value creation for our shareholders. Our disciplined approach to margin expansion, product innovation and M&A serve as a strong foundation as we continue our evolution from an equipment supplier to a solutions partner.”
Meister takes the reins of executive VP and CFO
Matt Meister joined JBT in May 2019 with extensive experience in global manufacturing across various industries, including his prior roles at IDEX Corporation where he held several operational finance leadership roles, most recently serving as group vice president, health and science technologies. Prior to joining IDEX, he held various roles of increasing responsibility at Navistar International Corporation. Meister holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an undergraduate degree in Finance and Operations Management from Washington University in St. Louis.
“I am delighted that Matt will be a permanent part of our executive leadership team,” says Brian Deck. “As interim CFO, he has been a great source of support and leadership amid unprecedented challenges. Matt brings extensive experience in global manufacturing and significant financial acumen to the CFO role. His depth of industry knowledge and significant financial and operational experience make him the ideal person to continue to lead our finance team as we grow the business and drive shareholder value.”
