Background

Ron Williams is a global corporate development and M&A executive. He is the founder and Managing Director of Breakthrough Solutions, LLC, an advisory practice supporting small- and mid-market companies and private equity investors on strategic and operational initiatives. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of International Mergers & Acquisitions at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches graduate students how global companies identify, structure, negotiate, and integrate cross-border transactions.

Ron brings more than two decades of corporate development experience to his advisory and teaching work. Most recently, he served as Head of Corporate Development for Masonite International, a publicly traded global manufacturer of door systems, where he led strategic acquisitions and built out an equity investment portfolio in new technologies.

Previously, Ron served as Area Director of Business Development for Republic Services, leading M&A, integration, and strategic market planning across a $1.2 billion regional business. As Group Director of Mergers and Acquisitions for The Coca-Cola Company, he led M&A and joint-venture strategy across Africa, building and managing a joint venture with four South African bottlers and executing acquisitions across the continent.

Ron began his corporate development career at General Electric, where he led business development efforts for GE Energy and later for GE Healthcare's Clinical Systems and Interventional Surgery & Cardiology units, including the company's first acquisition in China in years. He started his career as an attorney with Bryan Cave in Phoenix, Arizona, working on private and public acquisitions and securities matters.

Across his career, Ron has led or closed more than $1 billion in transactions — spanning acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, licensing, and equity investments — across more than 25 countries.

Ron holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and a JD/MBA from the University of Arizona. In his spare time, he enjoys being with his four kids and is an avid outdoor enthusiast, having completed five marathons and several triathlons.