The 2025 Corporate Development Professionals to Watch
Curated by Middle Market DealMaker editors based on more than 130 nominations
As with the other categories in our M&A Business Development Professionals to Watch feature, the corporate development professionals in the following pages were selected by Middle Market DealMaker editors with input from the ACG dealmaking community.
The six professionals on this year’s list helped drive value for their organizations by overseeing M&A activity. In some cases, that meant showing restraint in the face of overpriced opportunities. Many on this list also played an active role in shaping ACG’s strategic acquirer programming by serving on chapter-level committees and on the DealMAX planning committee.
Read on to learn about each honoree’s proudest achievement over the past year, and what they’re striving for in 2025.
JOAN DE LA PAZ HELLMER
Vice President of M&A, KPI Solutions | Radnor, PA
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: In early 2024, we finalized the integration of the acquisition of Twinlode Automation, a company that added several capabilities, resources and talent to KPI and increased our total enterprise value. I also took over several internal value-creation initiatives developed alongside our private equity sponsor. In the latter part of the year, we entered into two LOIs that hopefully will materialize into fantastic acquisitions that drive value for all parties. Our target list has increased, a sign that 2025 will be a productive year in M&A in our sector and company.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: In addition to my responsibilities in mergers and acquisitions, I plan to undertake some management and operational initiatives. As investment professionals, we spend a lot of time modeling data in order to inform our decisions. However, we rarely have the opportunity to engage in the execution of the operational work necessary to achieve those goals or targets. Over the past few years, I have taken on leadership roles in some of these projects, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of the operations and have a tangible impact on the outcomes. In 2025, I aim to continue balancing my financial expertise with my involvement in value-creation initiatives to further my growth as an investor and M&A professional.
ALEX KENNEDY
Senior Director, Corporate Development, Mimecast | Boston, MA
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: In 2024, Mimecast (backed by Permira) successfully executed three buy-side transactions: Elevate Security (January), AwareHQ (August) and Code42 (August). It was an exciting and fast-paced year, and I was thrilled to play a role in making these deals happen. While the outcomes were fantastic, the most rewarding aspect was collaborating with the teams across Permira and Mimecast—legal, finance, accounting, product, GTM, HR and more—as well as our external partners, including Latham & Watkins (Mimecast’s legal counsel), Piper Sandler (which represented Elevate and Code42) and Guggenheim (which represented AwareHQ).
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: As Mimecast continues to absorb its 2024 acquisitions, the Corporate Development team remains focused on meeting and building relationships with innovative companies that can help accelerate our roadmap and expand into new and exciting areas. When M&A or partnership opportunities arise, our goal is to execute transactions at the highest level. Outside of my core responsibilities, I’m eager to connect with professionals across the cybersecurity and corporate transaction landscape to foster meaningful relationships both within and beyond the organization.
JASON KRAFT
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, 74Software | Scottsdale, AZ
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: We completed the company’s largest acquisition to date, purchasing Sopra Banking Software (SBS). This transformative deal combined SBS with Axway, forming a new enterprise software entity: 74Software.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: I will continue to focus on effective capital allocation, prioritizing M&A opportunities that deliver long-term value to shareholders, customers and employees.
SARA MITCHELL COX
Sr. Manager, M&A & Business Development, Hajoca Corporation | Philadelphia, PA
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: In 2024, we turned the M&A slowdown into an opportunity to refine our strategy and focus on identifying the right opportunities for sustainable growth. Building on the momentum of several successful acquisitions in previous years, our unique approach continues to resonate within the M&A community. I’m particularly proud of how our relationship-first mindset has enriched engagement with business owners, sell-side advisors and other key partners, reinforcing our commitment to fostering meaningful connections. With over 100 trade names across the U.S. and Canada, our entrepreneurial spirit and focused strategy strengthen our reputation and position us for long-term success, enabling us to seize the right growth opportunities in the years ahead.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: I believe relationships are at the heart of every successful acquisition, and in 2025, my primary focus will be on further deepening these connections. Additionally, I’m excited to collaborate with our team to leverage new technologies and continuously refine how we source, diligence and integrate acquisitions to build our future. Our unique value proposition involves welcoming more businesses into our family of brands—not just to grow, but to empower teams to thrive locally and drive shared success on a North American scale.
MEEAE DIENEMANN
Assistant Vice President, AT&T | Dallas, TX
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: 2024 continued to mark irrational exuberance across our companies’ target asset groups so it was the year when the biggest accomplishments were fiscal discipline and walking away from multiple potential deals due to price frothiness.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: I plan to continue my disciplined execution at pace, with a focus on careful pre-integration/transition planning.
MATT ARSENAULT
VP of Corporate Development & Strategic Alliances, Jamf Software | Wilmington, MA
PROUDEST 2024 PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: 2024 was a year of many challenges due to general market conditions for software companies, valuation expectations of sellers not resetting down with public markets, internal investments in new systems, and a narrowly focused strategy for areas of expansion. In this environment, our team was able to provide creative solutions outside of traditional M&A to add functionality to our products and value to our customers through licensing, partnership and venture structures. By expanding the ways we add value, and reducing the overall burden of innovation on the organization through traditional M&A, we not only introduced new ways to add value but created additional flexibility to test out value propositions before full M&A.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR 2025: For 2025, I hope to return to acquisitions that change the trajectory of the company, drive value for our customers and make our products easier for end-users to adopt. Driving additional innovation within our ecosystem through venture investments will also be very important. This year is about providing opportunities for disruptive technologies to enhance the way people interact with their devices. It is exciting to see the changes and work to enable broader adoption.
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