John Vaske
Partner, Vice Chairman, and Co-Head of M&A
John Vaske is Vice Chairman of Ducera Partners and brings to the firm over 35 years of experience as a global finance and operating executive. Mr. Vaske’s experience includes nearly three decades of global advisory leadership, with particular focus on the Industrials and Natural Resources verticals.
Most recently, Mr. Vaske served as the Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Business Network (FBN), the North American agri-tech company. Prior to joining FBN, John was Head Americas for Temasek, the $280 billion AUM global investment firm. While at Temasek, he oversaw a team of 55 investors and represented the firm on multiple boards.
Previously, Mr. Vaske was a Partner at Goldman Sachs. He joined the firm in New York in 1988, relocating to Tokyo from 1989 to 1991 to help start Goldman Sachs’ M&A practice in Japan. After returning to New York in 1991, he executed on dealmaking across multiple industries, ultimately focusing on the Agriculture and Chemicals sectors. Mr. Vaske relocated to London in 2005 to lead the European Natural Resources Group and returned to New York in 2010 as Co-Head of the firm’s first global industry vertical, Global Natural Resources. He capped his 28-year career at Goldman Sachs as Co-Chairman of Global M&A in 2015.
Mr. Vaske serves as a director, and former Chairman, on the board of PeacePlayers International and as a member of the Athletic Leadership and Basketball Alumni Committees of Columbia University. He received his BA in Economics from Columbia University in 1988 and was a 2016 recipient of the John Jay Award, which honors Columbia College alumni for distinguished professional achievement.