Diane Pearse

Diane Pearse currently serves on the board of MSA Safety, Inc., a manufacturer, and supplier of safety products to protect workers and facility infrastructures in a variety of industries, and as a director of Basic American Foods, Inc., a privately held food manufacturing company. Ms. Pearse was previously a C-Suite executive, having held CEO, COO, and CFO roles for several companies. She retired as CEO and President of Hickory Farms, LLC, a multi-channel food products retailer, in January 2022.

Her other roles have included COO and Executive Vice President of Finance for Garrett Brands, a privately held consumer products company; Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations at Redbox Entertainment, Inc., a video entertainment, and distribution company; and CFO of Crate and Barrel, a home furnishings retailer. Her financial expertise was developed through progressive roles within the finance functions of Amoco Corporation and BP, leading multinational oil and gas companies.

Ms. Pearse currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business and on the board of directors of Uniting Voices Chicago, a not-for-profit organization that supports music education. Ms. Pearse was included in Crain’s 2019 Notable Women Executives over 50 and in Women Inc. Magazine’s 2019 Most Influential Corporate Directors.

She is a member of The Chicago Network and a member of The Women Corporate Directors Foundation. Ms. Pearse graduated Bronze Tablet from the University of Illinois-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, and obtained an MBA in Finance, with honours, from DePaul University.