NASHVILLE, Tenn. –

On Monday, Primeritus Financial Services named a new member of its management team, announcing its general counsel and chief compliance officer.

Accepting the role is Chris Kato, who comes to Primeritus with an extensive background in corporate law spanning a wide variety of practice areas. 

Kato most recently served as vice president and lead counsel for Central Parking Corp., where he directed the legal department and advised senior management on a comprehensive range of legal issues including contracts, labor and employment matters, mergers and acquisitions, collections, insurance coverage, intellectual property and data privacy issues.

Kato also previously held positions as deputy general counsel and associate counsel for that company.

“Chris’ depth and breadth of corporate legal experience has already made him a key addition and contributor to the Primeritus management team. We view his appointment as yet another sign of PFS’ commitment to being the leader in our industry,” Primeritus chairman Cam Hitchcock said.

Primeritus chief executive officer Chuck Tapp added, “Chris’s strong business and legal insights are a valuable asset to our strategic development and ongoing management efforts. We believe Chris’ understanding of compliance frameworks and processes will clearly benefit PFS’ clients in a changing regulatory environment.”