Charles Adair

Expertise

Mr. Charles Adair is the retired Vice Chairman of BMO Capital Markets, where he spent more than 30 years in senior leadership roles at one of North America’s leading financial institutions. During his tenure, he led a wide range of investment banking transactions, with a particular focus on companies across the food and agribusiness value chain.

Before serving as Vice Chairman, Charles assumed several key positions at BMO, including Senior Vice President and Manager of the Harris Capital Markets Group, the predecessor to BMO’s Chicago-based capital markets office. Earlier, he served as Director of North American Mergers and Acquisitions at Elders Grain, Inc., and held senior roles in grain trading, futures trading and transportation logistics at Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. Throughout his career, Charles has helped drive financial performance and strategic growth for hundreds of food and agriculture companies, building deep expertise in global commodity markets and the broader food ecosystem.

Skills and qualifications

Charles brings more than three decades of financial, transactional and strategic experience to the Board. His extensive capital markets background and long-standing focus on the food and agriculture sectors enable him to provide informed guidance on market dynamics, mergers and acquisitions, capital allocation and overall financial stewardship.

He offers a holistic, sector-informed perspective on the opportunities and risks shaping Darling Ingredients’ long‑term direction. His familiarity with commodity markets, corporate finance and cross‑border transactions strengthens the Board’s ability to evaluate investments, pursue strategic partnerships and support innovation across global ingredients and sustainable resources. Charles’ proven financial leadership and specialized agribusiness expertise help the company create long-term value while advancing solutions that benefit people, animals and the planet.