Lynn Utter
Independent Director of WESCO International, Lincoln National, NextEra Energy, and Vista Outdoor Operating Partner, Atlas Holdings, LLC
Department: Other
Lynn’s career is grounded in distribution and supply chain excellence. Her reputation was built in the food and beverage sector and more recently has extended to more industrial spaces. Lynn is an experienced operator having served as the Chief Executive Officer for First Source LLC, the largest packager and distributor of candy and specialty foods in the United States. Prior to First Source, she served as the global President and Chief Operating Officer of Knoll Office. At Coors Brewing Company Lynn’s roles included Chief Strategy Officer, President of Coors’ Distributing Company, and Group VP over Coors’ container manufacturing joint ventures. Her previous experience includes six years with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, and four years with Strategic Planning Associates in Washington, D.C..
In recent years Lynn has transitioned fully to corporate board service. She currently serves as an Independent Director for four publicly traded companies, WESCO Distribution, Lincoln Financial, NextEra Energy and Vista Outdoor. Lynn formerly chaired the board for private equity-backed Merchants Metals and now serves as an Operating Partner for Merchants’ former financial sponsor, Atlas Holdings, LLC.
Lynn has also served on a myriad of not-for-profit boards within The University of Texas, The Aspen Institute, and United Way; and recently co-chaired the Stanford GSB's Task Force on Women. She was inducted to the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, received the Paradigm Award from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, has been twice recognized as a recipient of Stanford University’s Award of Merit, and was honored as an Outstanding Young Texas Ex. Lynn received a bachelor's degree in business administration from The University of Texas’ Business Honors Program, and she earned an MBA from Stanford. Lynn and her husband share an empty nest in Philadelphia, PA.
Lynn appreciates that her path has been paved with a combination of education, hard work, privilege and mentorship. Sharing her experiences and insights with talented and ambitious businesswomen so that they can more readily navigate their own personal paths to success is an opportunity and responsibility she embraces. Lynn loves working with Women Who Mean Business.