Edison Partners appoints first COO

Edison Partners announced the promotion of general partner Kelly Ford Sept. 20 to chief operating officer, a newly created position for the 36-year-old company.

In the new role, Ford will oversee operations for the Princeton-based growth equity firm, including the Edison Edge value creation platform, investment development, finance, portfolio operations and marketing.

For more than 20 years, Ford has built high-growth businesses. In her more than eight years at Edison, she’s worked with over 55 portfolio companies, been involved in 15 financings, served as director at 11 companies, and pioneered the Edison Edge operating platform.

Ford’s appointment comes amid continued momentum for the firm in 2022, including the final close of the Edison X fund; continued investment in areas such as Texas, Alabama and North Carolina; and the addition of five operating partners to support growth and execution.

“This well-deserved promotion recognizes Kelly’s tremendous contributions to Edison thus far. Expanding our executive team by promoting Kelly will help us scale and acknowledges the excellence and value we expect from the Edison Edge platform and best-in-class portfolio operations,” said Chris Sugden, managing partner, Edison Partners. “Kelly’s 20-plus years of leading management teams to successful outcomes make her the ideal person for the new COO role. She understands how to unlock the potential of great people by creating amazing teams through execution and process excellence.”

“With our vision for the firm, and its 36 years of success, I am thrilled to step into this role and take our operations to the next level,” said Ford. “This is a high-performing, high-commitment team that does whatever it takes to build value with our portfolio companies and deliver great outcomes for our limited partners. It’s in this spirit that we’ll also continue to innovate and scale how we support our portfolio companies.”