Dave Yawman is a Senior Advisor at BarkerGilmore. He has over 25 years of experience leading global legal, compliance & ethics, public policy, and government affairs departments at a Fortune 50 company. He has advised Boards of Directors, CEOs, business leaders, and colleagues from all over the world and is known for his steadying presence and balanced style. His core value comes from knowing what it takes to be both an effective business and functional leader, how to positively influence organizational culture through his commitment to principled leadership, and how to collaborate cross-functionally to make tough calls on nuanced, business-critical issues. He is an expert in positioning and structuring legal and compliance departments in support of the organization’s broader objectives, and he is steadfast in his belief that talent development is critical to leadership success and sustained excellence.

In the legal and compliance arena, Dave has served on various boards, councils, and committees over his career. Currently, he is on the Advisory Board of the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance. He previously served on the New York State Business Council for Access to Justice, having been appointed by the Chief Judge of the State of New York. He has presented on numerous legal, compliance, and policy issues at law schools, conferences, podcasts, and symposiums, including at the Ethisphere Institute, Harvard Law School, Next Wave Leadership, Rutgers Law School, St. Johns University School of Law, Transparency International, and the United Nations. Dave has been recognized for his commitment to volunteer and pro bono work, and he was elected by his legal peers and community leaders to chair two separate boards of directors: the United Way of Westchester & Putnam Counties (NY) and the Pro Bono Partnership (which provides free legal service to nonprofit organizations in NY, NJ, and CT).

Dave earned his B.A. in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and his J.D. from Rutgers Law School.

Senior Advisor, Leadership Development, Organizational Strategy, Succession Management, Executive Assessment

Dave previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at PepsiCo, Inc., a Fortune 50 company. After obtaining his law degree, he started his legal career in the U.S. Federal Court and at a Wall Street law firm (Fried Frank). He then moved in-house and spent 22+ years at PepsiCo, rising from an entry-level legal position to become General Counsel. As General Counsel, Dave was a member of the Executive Committee and worked closely with the Board, CEO, C-Suite, and leaders at all levels to help shape PepsiCo’s business strategy and corporate culture. He gained significant public company, operating division, and international experience leading a team of 600+ colleagues in the global law, compliance & ethics, public policy, and government affairs departments across the 200+ countries in which PepsiCo operates. As General Counsel, he worked with the Board on a CEO succession. Earlier in his PepsiCo career, Dave served as Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, during which he played an integral role in evolving and expanding the PepsiCo compliance program globally. During his “career within a company,” Dave developed a deep knowledge of global markets, organizational structures, government affairs, and public policy. He also leveraged his EQ to develop insights about leadership, culture, and diversity & inclusion, becoming an impactful internal voice well beyond his role as General Counsel.

Leveraging his experience and belief that organizations thrive or falter based on the quality and effectiveness of their people and carrying out his longstanding plan to have a second career centered on people, Dave stepped away from his successful legal career in 2021 to join Cresco Partners, an established consultancy focused on coaching and developing high-performance leaders and teams. In joining Cresco, Dave reunited with his college baseball teammate at the University of Notre Dame, Mike Moshier (Cresco’s Founder). Dave and Mike have long shared the core values of lifelong learning, growth, and people.

Industrial, Non-Profit, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Consumer