Bob Thornton

As an Executive-in-Residence at Summit Partners, Bob works alongside Summit’s Growth Products & Services team to identify new investment opportunities with a specific focus is on building a comprehensive wealth management platform in collaboration with leading wirehouse teams serving the high-net-worth customer.

Previously, Bob served as President of the Private Wealth Management business of First Republic Bank, where he led the growth of that business from approximately $10 billion in assets to more than $250 billion. In his role with First Republic, Bob placed a premium on supporting the investment advisor as “wealth manager” to meet clients’ full wealth management needs.  Along with his team, Bob developed a series of high-value programs including integrated planning resources, a white glove insurance product and an internal referral construct that contributed to significant growth in the client and asset base of the wealth managers at First Republic. During his tenure, he and his colleagues were able to recruit over 150 high caliber financial advisors from across the industry.

Prior to joining First Republic, Bob had a successful twenty-year career in investment banking, principally focused on mergers & acquisitions and financings. He began his career at Goldman Sachs, followed by leadership roles at both Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank.

Bob holds a B.A. in Political Science from Duke University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.