Cole retired from a 37-year career on Wall Street in 2021. He currently serves as managing partner and founder of Narrowgate Partners, a consulting and advisory firm. He is an author and will publish his book, “The Narrow Gate,” this fall.
He spent the last 11 years of his career in investment banking at Citibank, where he was co-head of the leveraged finance business for the U.S. and Canada. In this role, he was responsible for managing the origination, approval, and distribution of leveraged loan and high yield bond financings for large corporate issuers, including LBOs for the world’s largest private equity firms. His responsibilities also included leading the recruiting of analysts for all businesses within Citi Capital Markets; liaising with U.S. regulators from the Fed, FDIC, and OCC; serving on the Capital Commitments Committee and the Investment Banking U.S. Operating Committee.
Prior to Citi, Cole spent two-and-a-half years at HSBC, where he was hired to grow its leveraged finance business and was promoted to co-head of its commercial and investment banking business for the Americas. In this capacity, he oversaw the firm’s origination and product groups, including M&A and public and private equity and debt.
Prior to HSBC, Cole had a 20-year career with Deutsche Bank in investment banking, primarily in client service and origination, initially focusing on the Midwest region and then as head of the Chemical Industry group. He also spent two years in London in a risk management role, approving all transactions in the UK and Europe for corporate clients as well as distressed debt trading. He started the U.S. Leveraged Finance group in 2001, which he led until his departure at the end of 2007. Deutsche Bank was awarded the U.S. Leveraged Finance House of the Year by IFR Magazine in 2006.
Prior to Deutsche Bank, Cole spent three years at Continental Bank as an associate, and prior to that, he spent two years at General Electric in its Financial Management Program.
He is a board member and former chair of the New Canaan Society (a ministry serving men), president of Faith in Financial Services, a member of the Center for Being Known (psychiatrist Curt Thompson’s organization that facilitates connected communities), a member of the New York City Salvation Army, and an advisor for the DRM Foundation (promoting mental health among college students and young professionals).
While a student in the Kelley School, Cole was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and captain of the Men’s Swimming team, through which he was an NCAA All-American and Big 10 champion. He received the Balfour Award given to one member of each sport for “outstanding performance and conduct.”
In 2012, the I Association awarded Cole with the ZG Clevenger Award, which is given to alumni who have made outstanding contributions through service to IU’s athletic program. In 2020, he received IU’s Bicentennial Award for his personal and professional efforts to broaden the reach of IU. He has served on the Kelley School Dean’s Council for more than 15 years, and the Cole family has funded scholarships for Kelley and IU Men’s Swimming.
Cole received an MBA in accounting and finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1992. He is married to Kim, and they have three children and four grandchildren.