Clayton Grindle

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.