Bead Industries Announces CEO and CFO

Jill Bryant Mayer, great granddaughter of Bead Industries, Inc. founder, W. Calvin Bryant, has been promoted to CEO of the family-owned company (formerly Bead Chain Manufacturing Co.). The company’s previous CEO, Kenneth Bryant, retired in October of 2014. Most recently Corporate President, Mayer will continue to report to the board of directors. As CEO, she will be responsible for overseeing and supporting both divisions’ executive management teams as well as leading the company into the future through customer-focused growth and innovation. In addition to her duties as CEO, Mayer is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Haven Manufacturers Association and of the University of New Haven’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program.

“I appreciate the Board’s confidence in me. To be the first female CEO at Bead after more than a century of continuous operation isn’t lost on me,” the new CEO of the Milford, Conn.- based company said in a statement. “I am also grateful to be joined by our new CFO, Kristen Sawyer, who brings a tremendous amount of talent and expertise to Bead.”

Kristen Sawyer has been promoted to CFO after serving as Corporate Controller for the past two years at Bead, during which time she oversaw the financial functions and reporting of its two locations. Prior to that, Sawyer served as Audit Manager for nearly 8 years at CohnReznick, where she served a variety of both public and private companies, primarily in the manufacturing sector. She started her career with EY (formerly Ernst & Young, LLP). Sawyer holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Masters of Science in Accounting from UConn, and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.