Mr. Kester was named to the Board of Directors in September of 2016 and serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Kester is Chief Financial Officer of Kester Search Group, Inc., a private executive search firm specializing in sales force placement for medical, dental and diagnostic device companies. He spent 28 years at KPMG LLP, a leading global accounting firm, including 18 years as an audit partner. Mr. Kester completed his career at KPMG as head of its manufacturing, retail and distribution practice for South Carolina. His major clients included BMW Manufacturing Corp, Fuji Photo Film, Kemet Electronics, Cryovac, a division of Sealed Air Corp and Bowater, Inc., among many others.
From 2004 to 2010 he was a board member of Orthofix International (Nasdaq: OFIX), a global medical device company, where he served as Chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Kester currently serves as Treasurer and Director at a not-for-profit organization, South Carolina Environmental Law Project and as a Treasurer and Director at a not-for-profit organization, Upstate Forever. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University. He served in the United States Navy as a Lieutenant from 1969 to 1972.