Specialist private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners announced the appointment of Sean Sullivan as Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer, effective May 5, 2025. With this newly created role, Sullivan will oversee all legal matters and enterprise risk management at TSG and will serve as the firm’s primary liaison with outside counsel.
Sullivan brings nearly 20 years of experience advising public and private companies through significant transformations, including strategic acquisitions and IPOs. And he brings extensive expertise in the consumer sector, most recently from The Duckhorn Portfolio, a former TSG partner company, where he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation and Legal Officer.
During his six-year tenure at Duckhorn, the company doubled the revenues, earnings, and headcount. And Sullivan also oversaw Duckhorn’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and its take-private transaction in late 2024. In his new role at TSG, he also draws on his experience as a board member of Dutch Bros Coffee (another former TSG partner company) and the Green Coffee Company.
Earlier in his career – in addition to his work as an investment banker at Credit Suisse – Sullivan spent twelve years at Gibson Dunn, where he led teams advising on founder- and sponsor-backed IPOs and spin-offs; complex regulatory matters; strategic corporate initiatives at the board and management levels; fiduciary duties; capital raising; governmental affairs; and more than 100 M&A transactions.
Sullivan earned his JD from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a James Kent Scholar and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and his BA, summa cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’ve had the privilege of working with Sean for nearly two decades and are thrilled to officially welcome him to TSG. Sean brings deep legal expertise, a steady hand through complex transformations, and a strong understanding of the consumer landscape. His leadership will be a tremendous asset to our firm and our partner companies as we continue to help them grow and evolve to meet the needs of consumers.”
- Jamie O’Hara, President of TSG Consumer
“During my time at Duckhorn, I experienced firsthand the strategic insight, deep consumer knowledge, and true partnership approach that define TSG. After nearly 20 years of working alongside the team, I’m excited to join TSG and support the continued growth and success of its partner companies.”
- Sean Sullivan
