Rabobank named Donald Meltzer as vice chairman, head of Mergers & Acquisitions for its North America Wholesale banking division, serving the bank’s food, beverage and agribusiness clientele in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Meltzer will be based in New York, and sit on the bank’s Global Management Committee of Corporate Finance Advisory as well as its North America Corporate Clients Management Team.

Rabobank’s M&A practice advises the world’s leading food and agri (F&A) companies on a wide range of public and private transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, cross-border transactions, and other strategic initiatives. Rabobank’s relationship-oriented approach highlights the bank’s differentiating advantage: deep sector knowledge, long-term commitment, and global reach.

“We are very pleased to appoint Don to head our M&A practice, which is a cornerstone of our corporate banking franchise in North America,” said Rajiv Singh, CEO of Rabobank’s North America Wholesale division. “As the premier bank to the food and agribusiness sector, Rabobank is a trusted strategic advisor to executives, directors and senior decision makers of the top food and agribusiness firms across the region. Don’s experience will help strengthen Rabobank’s position as the go-to bank for expert advisory, innovative thinking and value-adding solutions in the F&A space.”

Meltzer brings a wealth of experience to Rabobank, gained over the course of a nearly 30-year career in investment banking. He spent 20 years at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York and London, most latterly as co-head of Global Mergers & Acquisitions. Prior to that, he served as CSFB’s head of European M&A and led various sector teams, covering the largest companies in the industry. Meltzer also led the global investment banking operations of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein as well as its North American investment banking operations. From 2006 to 2010, Meltzer ran the investment banking practice at Cowen and Company; he later was a senior advisor at Morpheus Capital.