Sojourner Consumer Partners

Investment decisions are made by the senior partner group, which includes co-founders Rob DesMarais, Zach Johnson, and Roger Dickhout. DesMarais brings private equity and investment banking experience from Swander Pace Capital and Banc of America Securities; Johnson contributes e-commerce and digital marketing expertise from his tenure building Amazon's global advertising business; Dickhout adds CEO-level operational and turnaround experience across multiple consumer platforms. The firm appointed Emily Fong Mitchell as CEO in 2025 to lead strategy and execution.

Sojourner sources deals through the existing consumer-products networks of its senior partners — built over decades at Swander Pace Capital, Amazon, McKinsey, and consumer operating companies. Roger Dickhout's 14-year partnership with Swander Pace Capital in Canada provides a dedicated origination channel north of the border. The firm also leverages relationships across the e-commerce and digital marketing ecosystems where Zach Johnson spent his career, identifying brands with strong online presence but undermanaged operations.

Sojourner Consumer Partners operates as a direct investor executing control buyouts rather than a fund-of-funds or LP in external vehicles. The investment model centers on acquiring majority stakes in proven consumer-branded companies and then deploying internal operating resources — in e-commerce, marketing, and supply chain — to drive performance improvement and exit readiness.

Sojourner Consumer Partners' three senior partners all have deep ties to Swander Pace Capital. Rob DesMarais was a Partner and Managing Director at SPC before co-founding Sojourner. Roger Dickhout partnered with SPC for 14 years to acquire, operate, and exit 18 Canadian consumer companies. Linda Naselli, Sojourner's new COO, was previously CEO and CFO at Reliance Vitamin, an SPC portfolio company where she led a sale to another private equity buyer.