Veteran Investment Banker Gary Wunderlich Joins Pinnacle to Lead Capital Markets Activities

Wunderlich charged with growing the firm’s established and sophisticated program for M&A, debt and equity placement, syndications, derivatives and more

Veteran investment banker and entrepreneur Gary Wunderlich has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners to lead and grow its capital markets activities, including investment banking, loan syndications, derivatives and valuations. He is an executive vice president and managing director of capital markets for the firm and will succeed Roger Osborne as president and CEO of PNFP Capital Markets, Inc., the investment banking subsidiary of Pinnacle Bank. 

Wunderlich comes to Pinnacle from Live Oak Merchant Partners, a merchant bank providing capital and advisory services that he co-founded in 2019. Prior to Live Oak, he founded and led Wunderlich Securities, Inc., a full-service investment banking and wealth management firm that grew to more than $120 million in annual revenues before it merged with B. Riley Financial, Inc. in 2017.

“Gary is a very well-known financial professional with a proven track record of growth and success in investment banking,” said Pinnacle Chairman Rob McCabe. “Pinnacle has spent a decade building a successful capital markets practice for our clients. We believe Gary will accelerate its trajectory to provide even more value for our firm and shareholders.”

Wunderlich is taking over an established capital markets platform built from scratch by Osborne and his team over the last decade. He will leverage his deep experience as a high-growth business leader to accelerate its growth and impact on the firm, serving Pinnacle clients throughout the Southeast and building new business from across the country.

PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. is Pinnacle Bank’s registered broker-dealer with a team of 14 associates who provide clients with investment banking services, including merger and acquisition advisory, capital raises and debt and equity placement.

“This is an incredible opportunity to substantially grow a business within a highly successful organization,” Wunderlich said. “The foundations here are strong, with a solid platform and internal culture that puts service and advice first. Growing a business is what I love to do. We can accelerate the growth trajectory here and grow this into a more meaningful contributor for our clients and the firm’s bottom line.”

“The impact of Gary’s career can be seen across the country,” Osborne said. “Investment bankers work with clients at the biggest moments in their lives, and his passion for service is why they have trusted him with their finances for more than 30 years. Our team has poured an enormous amount of our own passion into building this platform, and we can’t think of a better person to trust with its future. It’s an honor to hand the keys to Gary and know that he will help realize its full potential.”

Osborne founded PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. and established and hired teams for all capital markets activities at Pinnacle Financial Partners. He will continue to serve on the board of PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. and work as an advisor to the company and Wunderlich throughout the transition.

“We cannot thank Roger enough for building this platform and team from scratch,” McCabe said. “We charged him with bringing very advanced capabilities to what we can offer our clients, and he delivered one of best capital markets platforms I have seen at a bank of any size. The team he assembled and the tools he gave them have allowed us to punch well above our weight class in investment banking services.”

Wunderlich is based at the firm’s Symphony Place office in downtown Nashville, with an additional office in Memphis. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his MBA at the University of Memphis. He serves on the board of Navitas Semiconductor, Valuence Merger Corp., and several nonprofits, including the Memphis River Parks Partnership, ArtsMemphis and the Campbell Clinic Foundation. He is also on the advisory board of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The firm is the No. 1 and fastest growing bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA, according to 2023 deposit data from the FDIC, and is listed by Forbes as No. 27 among America’s Best Banks, higher than any other bank headquartered in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia. Pinnacle also earned a spot on the 2023 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., its seventh consecutive appearance and was recognized by American Banker as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For 11 years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2023.

Pinnacle owns a 49 percent interest in BHG Financial, which provides innovative, hassle-free financial solutions to healthcare practitioners and other professionals. Great Place to Work and FORTUNE have listed BHG as a best workplace in multiple categories since 2016.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $47.5 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2023.  As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in 17 primarily urban markets across the Southeast.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.