VALUE-CREATION PARTNERS WITH DISTINCTIVE CAPABILITIES.

We are a private equity firm seeking to invest in proven, high-potential, consumer-branded companies in North America.

AT SOJOURNER, WE SHARE A VISION

Our firm possesses significant experience in building and improving businesses, not just private equity investing or acquisitions. This operating capability is fully integrated into our investment process and serves as the foundation of our unique value-creation approach.

Our team

Our complementary expertise in e-commerce, performance improvement, marketing, sustainability, and private equity investing enables us to help our companies accelerate their progress and realize their full potential. We seek to satisfy our customers’ needs, scale effectively, and achieve exceptional outcomes for all stakeholders, yet in a responsible way.

Rob Desmarais

  • Rob DesMarais brings extensive experience in private equity, the consumer products industry, investment banking, and leadership to the Firm. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, he was a Partner and Managing Director at Swander Pace Capital, which he joined in early 2005. Rob started his career in staff and management roles with Sara Lee Corporation, and he also was an investment banker with Banc of America Securities and Deutsche Banc Alex Brown focusing on the global consumer products industry.

  • Private Equity - 17 years

    Operating Experience - 5 years

    Investment Banking - 6 years

    Consumer Products – 29 years

Zach Johnson

  • Zach Johnson brings extensive experience in e-Commerce, digital marketing, data and technology application for consumer products, organizational design, and leadership to the Firm. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, he was an executive and a Director at Amazon, which he joined in early 2004. While at Amazon, Zach built and scaled the Advertising business, globally, which aided in the growth of Amazon’s Retail and Device strategy. He began his career with Shopnow.com (Network Commerce), helping connect buyers and sellers online in the early days of e-Commerce.

  • e-Commerce/Retail Media - 18 Years

    Digital Marketing - 26 Years

    Consumer Products - 20 Years

    Expatriate Assignment (EU) - 4 Years

Roger Dickhout

  • Roger Dickhout is an experienced CEO and investor with a track record of delivering strong financial results combined with improvements in sustainability. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, Roger partnered with Swander Pace Capital (SPC) to help the firm expand into Canada. Over the course of 14 years, Roger collaborated with SPC to acquire 18 companies, build and improve them, and eventually exit each platform company to a suitable buyer. These four successful platforms spanned organic yogurt (Liberte), baked goods (Pineridge Bakery), eco-friendly cleaning products (Lavo), and household and automotive fluids (Recochem). For three of these companies, Roger served as CEO. He also served as a strategic operating partner with a fourth. Prior to these roles, as President & CEO, he led a broad scale turnaround, renewal, and growth of Canada Bread. Previously, Roger was a Partner at McKinsey & Company for 15 years, where he helped consumer and industrial clients in North America and around the world embark on new directions, lead organizational change, and improve operations.

  • CEO/Director (Consumer) - 17 Years

    Working With Private Equity - 14 Years

    Strategic Consulting - 15 Years

    Engineering (Energy) - 4 Years

Rob Desmarais

  • Rob DesMarais brings extensive experience in private equity, the consumer products industry, investment banking, and leadership to the Firm. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, he was a Partner and Managing Director at Swander Pace Capital, which he joined in early 2005. Rob started his career in staff and management roles with Sara Lee Corporation, and he also was an investment banker with Banc of America Securities and Deutsche Banc Alex Brown focusing on the global consumer products industry.

  • Private Equity - 17 years

    Operating Experience - 5 years

    Investment Banking - 6 years

    Consumer Products – 29 years

Zach Johnson

  • Zach Johnson brings extensive experience in e-Commerce, digital marketing, data and technology application for consumer products, organizational design, and leadership to the Firm. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, he was an executive and a Director at Amazon, which he joined in early 2004. While at Amazon, Zach built and scaled the Advertising business, globally, which aided in the growth of Amazon’s Retail and Device strategy. He began his career with Shopnow.com (Network Commerce), helping connect buyers and sellers online in the early days of e-Commerce.

  • e-Commerce/Retail Media - 18 Years

    Digital Marketing - 26 Years

    Consumer Products - 20 Years

    Expatriate Assignment (EU) - 4 Years

Roger Dickhout

  • Roger Dickhout is an experienced CEO and investor with a track record of delivering strong financial results combined with improvements in sustainability. Prior to co-founding Sojourner, Roger partnered with Swander Pace Capital (SPC) to help the firm expand into Canada. Over the course of 14 years, Roger collaborated with SPC to acquire 18 companies, build and improve them, and eventually exit each platform company to a suitable buyer. These four successful platforms spanned organic yogurt (Liberte), baked goods (Pineridge Bakery), eco-friendly cleaning products (Lavo), and household and automotive fluids (Recochem). For three of these companies, Roger served as CEO. He also served as a strategic operating partner with a fourth. Prior to these roles, as President & CEO, he led a broad scale turnaround, renewal, and growth of Canada Bread. Previously, Roger was a Partner at McKinsey & Company for 15 years, where he helped consumer and industrial clients in North America and around the world embark on new directions, lead organizational change, and improve operations.

  • CEO/Director (Consumer) - 17 Years

    Working With Private Equity - 14 Years

    Strategic Consulting - 15 Years

    Engineering (Energy) - 4 Years

  • Julie Albright brings extensive and diverse experience in brand marketing, product innovation, eCommerce, and general management across the oral, personal, and home-care categories with industry-leading brands. Prior to joining Sojourner in 2024, Julie was a General Manager and Senior Director at Colgate-Palmolive, where she worked for the last 12 years. Julie started her career in private equity at Wedbush Capital Partners and investment banking at Wells Fargo. Her entire career has been focused on the consumer product goods industry.

  • General Management - 9 Years

    Brand Marketing - 12 Years

    Private Equity - 2 Years

    Investment Banking - 2 Years

Where We Work

Our team operates throughout the USA and Canada, adding value through our existing networks in these two countries and from around the globe.

Canada and the USA
Canada
United States of America