Women have reigned atop Ingredion Inc.’s legal team since 1998. The corn sweetener company’s in-house operation is now under the direction of Christine Castellano, 47, who became senior vice president and general counsel in October. Formerly Corn Products International, Ingredion, based in Westchester, Ill., makes food ingredients and industrial products from corn and other starch-based raw materials. Its customers include food, beverage, brewing and pharmaceutical companies. Net sales in 2012 totaled $6.5 billion. “Innovation is one of the most important themes of this company,” Castellano said. “We’re really looking to the future.”
Castellano, a former litigation partner at McDermott Will & Emery who joined the company in 1996, is the third consecutive woman general counsel; she took over from Mary Ann Hynes, who replaced Marcia Doane. Those appointments mirror other leadership positions at Ingredion — of 11 company officers, six are women. The 18-attorney department at Ingredion handles some sweet deals and high-profile litigation. The company changed its name to Ingredion about 20 months after its $1.3 billion acquisition of National Starch in 2010. It has been one among a number of corn-refiner giants involved in a legal battle against sugar companies over advertising claims regarding table sugar versus corn syrup.
