# M. Terry Turner

> M. Terry Turner cofounded Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville in 2000 with Rob McCabe and Hugh Queener and served as its founding president and CEO for 25 years. His approach emphasized experienced hires, client relationships and personal involvement in employee orientation. Following Pinnacle’s combination with Synovus in January 2026, he became non-executive chairman, supporting president and CEO Kevin Blair.

- **Role:** Non-executive Chairman at Pinnacle Financial Partners
- **Organizations:** Pinnacle Financial Partners, First American National Bank, Arthur Andersen & Company, Park National Bank, Nashville Sports Council, The Salvation Army, Belmont University, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Nashville Branch, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management, Georgia Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Cofounded Pinnacle and led it as president and CEO from 2000 until the January 2026 combination with Synovus., EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Southeast winner in financial services., Personally led ten three-day orientation sessions for 558 associates following the 2017 BNC combination.

## Career timeline

- **1976** — Graduated from Georgia Tech; subsequently worked as an Arthur Andersen consultant in Atlanta.
- **1979** — Joined Park National Bank in Knoxville; met Rob McCabe during his consulting work there.
- **1994-1998** — President of the General Bank of First American National Bank.
- **1998-1999** — President of First American Corporation’s Investment Services Group.
- **2000** — Cofounded Pinnacle with Rob McCabe and Hugh Queener; the bank opened October 27 in Nashville.
- **2017** — Won EY’s Southeast Entrepreneur Of The Year award in financial services; personally led ten three-day orientations following the BNC combination.
- **2026** — Became non-executive chairman following the January combination with Synovus; Kevin Blair became president and CEO.

## Achievements

- Cofounded Pinnacle and led it as president and CEO from 2000 until the January 2026 combination with Synovus.
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Southeast winner in financial services.
- Personally led ten three-day orientation sessions for 558 associates following the 2017 BNC combination.
- Led Pinnacle from one office at opening to 111 offices at its twentieth anniversary in 2020.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Moved from founding president and CEO to chairman following the Synovus combination. The holding-company merger closed January 1; the bank merger closed January 2.
- **2026-03** — Featured in a Nashville Post interview on leadership, succession and Pinnacle’s next chapter, updated March 27.
- **2026-07** — Pinnacle extended cofounder Rob McCabe’s service as director and chief banking officer through December 31, 2027, providing continuity alongside chairman Turner and CEO Blair.
- **2026-08** — Nashville Business Journal reported on August 18 that Turner sold 174,491 Pinnacle shares in August; the associated Form 4 reporting lists sales on August 13, 14 and 17.

## Links

- Website: https://www.pnfp.com/about-pinnacle/who-we-are/directors-and-leadership/teams/senior-leadership-team/m-terry-turner/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/terry-turner
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Last updated: 2026-10-23