Screenshot of Ingredion's website.

Going from tech to taste, Janet Bawcom has left a 20-year in-house law career at Dell Technologies Inc. to become general counsel and corporate secretary of Ingredion Inc.

Bawcom replaces longtime Ingredion general counsel Christine Castellano, who resigned under pressure, effective Feb. 1. Castellano, who joined Ingredion in 1996, also carried the titles of senior vice president, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer.

In its Monday announcement about Bawcom, Ingredion said she will be responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs and serve as the corporate secretary of the board of directors. She will report to Jim Zallie, president and chief executive officer of the Fortune 500 company, based in suburban Chicago. Ingredion provides ingredients for foods, beverages and other products in over 120 countries.

Bawcom could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but she posted on her LinkedIn page: “Very excited to be joining the team at Ingredion Incorporated!” It was followed by several posts from in-house counsel congratulating her.

Janet Bawcom.

In over 20 years at Austin-based Dell, Bawcom rose to senior vice president; corporate securities and finance counsel; and assistant secretary. She joined the company in 1999 after working 10 years as a corporate and tax lawyer in private practice in Dallas, first with Locke Lord and later with Gardere Wynne Sewell.

“Janet is an accomplished leader with an extensive background managing global legal, regulatory and compliance issues,” Zallie said in the announcement. “Her strong business acumen and impressive range of legal expertise will be a tremendous asset to Ingredion as we focus on driving our business forward.”

Bawcom holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.

Christine Castellano.

The company did not list any troublesome legal matter pending in its Feb. 25 annual financial filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing said, “We are currently subject to claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business, including labor matters, certain environmental proceedings, and other commercial claims.” It added it did not expect outcomes of these legal matters to be material.

Ingredion filed an 8-K form with the SEC on Dec. 14, 2018, stating it had entered into a confidential separation agreement with then-general counsel Castellano that would take effect Feb. 1. Castellano could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The filing said Castellano was to receive payments totaling about $660,500. That was broken into one payment of $416,108, or about $35,000 less than her base salary for 2018; plus a $120,406 cash incentive bonus; and another payment equal to the value of 1,248 shares of company stock on Jan. 31, which at $99 per share, equaled about $124,000.

She also was to receive continued insurance coverage for 12 months, about $8,500 for outplacement services, and up to $10,000 to the Bellows Law Group in Chicago for “legal fees incurred in connection with this agreement.”

The release agreement also included noncompetition, nonsolicitation, confidentiality and release provisions, according to the filing.