Clayton Grindle

President and Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Grindle brings more than 30 years of leadership, strategy, operational effectiveness, and transformation experience to Palm Tree, including a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy where he retired as a Captain in 2015.

During his naval career Mr. Grindle served in many leadership roles in aviation and intelligence.  He commanded several aviation task groups and squadrons – all of which were based overseas and operated both ashore and afloat.  In each unit he improved operational effectiveness while reducing costs and resource requirements.  He also served as the Naval Attaché in Malaysia and Defense Attaché in Hong Kong (China) – providing insight, national security strategies, and on-the-ground execution for U.S. Defense and State Department leadership.  Additionally, he led transformation programs and development of the quadrennial defense strategy for the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, helping to modernize and reimagine how the military services operate.

After his naval career Mr. Grindle transitioned to financial services, where he helped found a private equity operating platform, and focused on leading strategy, execution, and transformation in the financial service, banking, and SaaS sectors. He most recently served as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives at Mitsubishi Union Financial Group, where he led the day-to-day work of the Operations and Technology Risk organization; prior to that he was a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Wholesale Banking.

Mr. Grindle holds an M.S. in Space Systems from the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School; an M.S. in Strategy from the National War College; and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.  He is active in veterans’ assistance programs, is an avid cyclist, and lives in Charlotte with his wife, seven-year-old son, and a very active border collie.

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Pardis Nasseri

Chairman and CEO

Derek Alderton

Vice Chairman

Portrait of a male executive in a blue plaid shirt
Tracy Albert

Vice Chairman, Investment Banking

Clayton Grindle

President and Chief Operations Officer

David Wolinsky

Chief Talent Officer

Ryan Kanaley

Chief Financial Officer

Chris Felderman

Senior Managing Director,
Co-Head of Consulting

Mitchel Nakken

Senior Managing Director,
Co-Head of Consulting

Stephen E. Rossi

Senior Managing Director,
Head of Investment Banking

David M.V. Barnes

Managing Director, Head of M&A

Britt Terrell

Managing Director,
Head of Capital Markets

Phillip Cooper

Managing Director

Spencer Hong

Managing Director

Rouzheen Myrick

Managing Director

Vincent Nguyen

Managing Director

Steven Richards

Managing Director

Dulce Martinez

Head of Client Coverage

Rishi Chellani

Director

Nick Fedorchak

Director

Matt Murray

Director

M. Charles Festa

Director, Talent Acquisition

Dieema Wheaton

Director, Talent Management

Portrait of a male executive in a blue tie
Danny Arnaout

Senior Vice President

Stephanie Kersey

Senior Vice President

Kathleen Obiala

Senior Vice President

Michael Sieglen

Senior Vice President

Joseph Wade

Senior Vice President

Careers with Palm Tree

We have select positions available at all levels of our organization. Contact us for a confidential discussion about joining a firm that L.A. Business Journal named among L.A.'s most influential M&A advisors.

Exposure to projects and opportunities to work closely with clients offers Palm Tree employees lateral and progressive advancement inside the firm.

We currently have positions available within the organization for employees of top accounting and consulting firms and for recent graduates.