Central Garden & Pet Company, a market leader in the garden and pet industries, announces that Joyce McCarthy will become general counsel of Central effective April 4, 2022. Joyce succeeds George Yuhas, general counsel & corporate secretary, who has elected to retire from the position after eleven years of service.
“Joyce McCarthy is a highly skilled attorney who brings incredible experience to her new role as General Counsel to Central Garden & Pet,” said Tim Cofer, CEO of Central Garden & Pet. “As we continue to execute against our long-term Central to Home strategy, we need a strong leader to help us navigate key elements of our growth plans, both organic and via acquisitions. I’m thrilled to have a leader like Joyce as a trusted partner on our journey.”
In her role as general counsel, Joyce will be responsible for all legal affairs of Central, including litigation, enterprise risk management, corporate and commercial transactions, compliance and governance.
Most recently, Joyce served as general counsel & secretary for Ferrara Candy Company where she oversaw all legal and compliance matters for the company. Prior to her latest role, Joyce held multiple key roles at Colgate-Palmolive Company, including four years as general counsel of Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Colgate’s global pet food division. She also brings substantial transactional experience, having advised on multiple acquisitions and divestitures both at Ferrara and Colgate. Prior to joining Colgate, Joyce was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell and served as a law clerk to a U.S. District Court judge in the Southern District of New York.
Joyce graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton with a Bachelor of Arts in History and received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, cum laude, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review.
“I would also like to thank George Yuhas for his 11 years of service and dedication,” said Tim Cofer, CEO of Central Garden & Pet. “George has been an incredible leader for the company and has played an integral role in helping central become the company we are today.”
