Gary B. Byrd

Mr. Byrd is President and Chief Executive Officer of Pratt Financial Services, the U.S. investment affiliate of the Pratt family-owned multinational packaging company.  Mr. Byrd oversees the firm's private equity fund, which specializes in community banks.

Joining the Pratt family in 1988, Mr. Byrd was instrumental in spearheading the core packaging company's U.S. growth strategy, completing 16 acquisitions during his 15 year career with Pratt, the last 7 as CEO.

Prior to joining forces with Pratt, Mr. Byrd was an investment banker with Security Pacific Bank for 14 years.  He held a number of increasingly responsible positions, including Vice Chairman, Senior Loan Committee, and head of the Leverage Buyout Group.  He founded and was head of the Mergers And Acquisitions Group prior to his departure. 

Mr. Byrd holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary and a Masters of Business Administration from U.C.L.A.

Mr. Byrd serves on the boards of the following banks:

Midtown Bank and Trust; MagnetBank; Signature Bank of Georgia; and Republic Bank (in organization).