FocalPoint Partners, an independent investment banking firm with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, has named Nelda Connors as industry coverage leader for the firm’s M&A advisory, financial restructuring and capital raising efforts in the Industrials sector. FocalPoint’s Industrial coverage encompasses the manufacturing, metals, automotive, construction services, and agriculture subsectors.

Connors most recently served as president and CEO of Atkore International, managing $1.4 billion in global sales. Atkore, formerly a division of Tyco International, manufactured steel and copper-based products for the non-residential electrical construction and industrial end-markets. Prior to joining Tyco, she served as a vice president at Eaton Corporation from 2002 until 2008 where she held various operating and general management positions, and was an executive in the automotive industry for Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, and Mogami Denki (a Toyota Motor Company supplier). As an operator, Connors has implemented Continuous Improvement processes (utilizing both Lean Manufacturing principles and Six Sigma tools) and has trained and worked abroad, including living in Japan, Germany and China. Her operating skills have been further advanced by having the operating to lead or participate in more than a dozen acquisitions during her career.

Connors currently serves on the Boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Boston Scientific and Blount International, and is the CEO of Pine Grove Holdings. Connors holds B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton.

FocalPoint managing director Thomas Mills stated, “Nelda is a first-class addition to the FocalPoint team and we are very excited to have someone of her caliber leading our efforts in the Industrial sector. Her impressive operational background, international experience, and C-level relationships across the globe will greatly benefit the firm’s base of middle market industrial clients.”