CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stout is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its dedicated Consumer coverage within the Investment Banking group with the addition of Ashleigh Barker as Managing Director and Head of Beauty, Personal Care and Wellness.

The addition reflects Stout's continued investment in building a differentiated Consumer practice across high-growth and active sectors. Beauty, personal care and wellness represent an important area of focus as strategic acquirers and private equity investors continue to seek differentiated brands, scaled platforms, and businesses positioned to benefit from evolving consumer preferences and new innovation.

"We are pleased to welcome Ashleigh to Stout," said Dan Gomez, Head of Consumer Investment Banking at Stout. "Her relationships across the beauty, personal care and wellness sectors and strong reputation throughout the Private Equity community add meaningful depth to our Consumer practice. We are investing in sectors where specialized industry knowledge matters to our clients, and Ashleigh's addition is an important part of the broader Consumer platform we are building."

Ashleigh joins Stout with 15 years of corporate M&A and investment banking experience advising founder-owned businesses, private equity sponsors, and corporate clients across beauty, personal care, wellness, and related consumer categories. Her experience includes mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory, and capital raising for companies.

Prior to Stout, Ashleigh served as a senior member of Lincoln International where she founded and led the firm's beauty and personal care efforts. Previously, Ashleigh held investment banking and corporate finance positions at Michel Dyens & Co, The Estee Lauder Companies and Deutsche Bank.

"Beauty and Wellness are sectors I genuinely love because they bring together exceptional founders, strong brands rooted in authenticity and innovation and highly engaged investors," said Ashleigh Barker, Managing Director at Stout. "I have always been energized by working closely with founders as they build and scale their businesses, and by partnering with private equity clients who bring their own experience and growth ambitions to the category. Stout's investment in Consumer creates an exciting opportunity to build something truly differentiated in these sectors and to support our clients with the combination of relationships, sector knowledge, and execution they expect from a trusted advisor."

"Ashleigh is a great addition to our Investment Banking team and to the culture we continue to build at Stout," added Kevin Manning, President of Investment Banking at Stout. "She brings deep sector expertise, strong client relationships and a collaborative approach that fits extremely well with our firm. We are pleased to have her on the team and excited about what she will help us build within Consumer."

The addition follows Stout's recent expansion in Food and Beverage and reflects the firm's broader strategy to build sector-focused expertise across the Consumer market. By adding senior professionals with established industry relationships and transaction experience in distinct consumer verticals, Stout is expanding its ability to advise clients across the lifecycle of their businesses.

Together, Stout's growing Consumer team combines dedicated sector coverage with the firm's established capabilities across advisory services.

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SOURCE Stout