Achillion’s Mary Kay Fenton Elected CBIA Board Chair

Mary Kay Fenton, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, was elected chair of CBIA’s board of directors Dec. 6.
She succeeds John Ciulla, president of Webster Financial Corporation and Webster Bank, who becomes the immediate past chair.
The board also elected two vice chairs: Chris DiPentima, president of Middletown-based Pegasus Manufacturing, and Jennifer DelMonico, managing partner of Murtha Cullina LLP in New Haven.
“I am honored to lead the many talented CBIA directors across the state, all of whom are dedicated to creating, fostering, and sustaining a positive business climate,” Fenton said.
“With its long history of business advocacy, CBIA continues to be the premier business leadership organization that promotes a healthy economy for the benefit of all residents.”
“Mary Kay is not only a distinguished leader in the biotech and healthcare sector, but maintains a longstanding commitment to making Connecticut a better place to live and work,” said CBIA president and CEO Joe Brennan.
“Her experience, along with that of Chris and Jennifer, will guide our organization as we look for ways to improve Connecticut’s economic future.
“I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with such an accomplished group of Connecticut business executives.”

Mary Kay Fenton

Mary Kay Fenton is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in New Haven.
Leading Achillion’s financial and administrative function since company inception, Fenton is responsible for financial strategy and capital formation, financial reporting and compliance, and treasury and tax functions, as well as operating functions such as investor relations, risk management, facilities management, purchasing, and information technology.
Prior to joining Achillion, Fenton was responsible for life sciences clients in Connecticut and western New York with the Technology Industry Group at PwC, where she advised fast-growing bioscience and technology companies on initial public offerings and other SEC matters, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic alliances.

Chris DiPentima

Chris DiPentima is president of Pegasus Manufacturing, based in Middletown and a division of Leggett & Platt, a diversified manufacturer and member of the S&P 500 that conceives, designs, and produces a variety of engineered components and products that can be found in most homes, offices, and automobiles.
The 133-year-old Leggett & Platt is comprised of 17 business units, 20,000 employee-partners, and 130 manufacturing facilities located in 19 countries.
He joined Pegasus in 2002 when it was family-owned, and introduced the company’s current foundation of disciplined change management, continuous improvement/lean, and strategic policy deployment.
These implementations resulted in a doubling of revenues and employment from 2009–2012 and propelled Pegasus to a leading supplier in its offerings of tube assemblies to Rolls-Royce and General Electric, customers who were not doing business with Pegasus prior to 2009.
The company is again experiencing significant revenue and employment growth as part of the Leggett & Platt family of companies.
DiPentima was appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy to the board of the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund. He is also a board member of the Connecticut Technical High School System and immediate past president of Aerospace Components Manufacturers.
DiPentima is also a member of the Connecticut contingency of the National Governor’s Policy Academy for Best Practices in Manufacturing.
Prior to working at Pegasus, DiPentima spent eight years as a trial attorney representing corporations and individuals in litigation involving a broad range of areas, including labor and employment, contracts, workers’ compensation, and personal injuries as well as mergers and acquisitions transactions.

Jennifer DelMonico

Jennifer DelMonico is managing partner of Murtha Cullina LLP. She has been a trial lawyer for parties in complex commercial litigation disputes and defendants in tort and product liability actions for nearly 20 years.
She primarily represents clients in the manufacturing, technology, and healthcare industries.
DelMonico also advises clients on security breach and electronic data compliance issues.
From 1997 to 2000, DelMonico was an attorney in the product liability department at King & Spalding in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Before becoming managing partner of Murtha Cullina, she served as chair of the firm’s litigation department and managing partner of the firm’s New Haven office.
DelMonico received a bachelor’s of music degree in oboe performance from Northwestern University in 1994, and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.

John Ciulla

John Ciulla is president of Webster Financial Corporation and Webster Bank. He will assume the role of CEO on January 1, 2018.
He joined Webster in 2004 and has served in a variety of management positions at the company including chief credit risk officer and senior vice president, commercial banking, where he was responsible for several business units.
He was promoted from executive vice president and head of middle market banking to lead commercial banking in January 2014 and president in October 2015.
Prior to joining Webster, Ciulla was managing director of The Bank of New York from 1997 to 2004. He practiced law in New York as an associate with McDermott Will & Emery from 1996 to 1997 and with Hughes Hubbard & Reed from 1994 to 1996.
He also serves on the board of The Business Council of Fairfield County.
Ciulla earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Williams College, an MBA from the Columbia Business School, and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.

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CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with thousands of member companies, small and large, representing a diverse range of industries from every part of the state. For more information, please email or call Meaghan MacDonald (860.244.1957).