Pinnacle Foods appoints corporate development executive

Pinnacle Foods Inc. announced Thursday it has appointed Michael S. Levitt to senior vice president corporate development, effective Oct. 31.The Parsippany-based food brands company said Levitt will report to Craig Steeneck, executive vice president and chief financial officer. He will partner with Steeneck and CEO Mark Clouse to develop and assess merger and acquisition opportunities that support the company.

Prior to Pinnacle, Levitt co-founded LG Capital Cmanagement L.P. and served as its portfolio manager. Prior to that, he was a research analyst at Chesapeake Partners and as a director in the M&A and corporate advisory group at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. Earlier in his career he was an attorney specializing in M&A’s at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

“We are excited to welcome Michael to Pinnacle in this important leadership role.  His well-rounded experiences in law, banking and investment management and research will be an asset to Pinnacle and position him as a strong partner to the executive team in implementing the Company’s strategic business development plan,” Steeneck said in a prepared statement.