Preston Polk has a wealth of experience in various roles and industries. Preston is currently working as a Senior Business Partner at Swanlaab USA Ventures since June 2020. Prior to this, they worked as an Executive Consultant at Corporate Visions starting in March 2021.
Before their current roles, Preston was the Managing Partner of Glyph Consulting, a firm they founded in 2019. In this role, they focused on developing and implementing business innovation and growth strategies for various companies, generating significant revenue through initiatives such as launching a Health Care Savings Account (HSA) that added 250K accounts in its first year and restructuring the debit network payment switch.
From 2015 to 2019, Preston worked at Wells Fargo Advisors as the SVP & Head of Wells Fargo Advisor Solutions. In this position, they led a team of 300 employees and managed over $15B in client assets for the retail brokerage business unit, contributing to the generation of over $9B in revenue.
Prior to their time at Wells Fargo Advisors, Preston held the role of Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning at Wachovia Securities (Acquired by Wells Fargo) from 2008 to 2011. In this leadership position, they played a key role in strategic planning, managed an internal consulting team, and developed a $2B revenue improvement plan for the retail brokerage business.
Preston has also had experience with entrepreneurship. Preston founded Glyph Consulting in 2005, where they developed and implemented growth strategies, building a client base generating $700K in annual revenue. Additionally, they played a significant role in the re-entry of Wells Fargo into the Payroll Processing business as the Senior Vice President of National Sales & Marketing for Wells Fargo Business Payroll Services from 2004 to 2005.
Further back in their career, Preston served as the Senior Vice President: Business Development at Wells Fargo Merchant Services from 2001 to 2004, leading strategic planning, business development, and merger & acquisition teams. Preston successfully acquired a portfolio of $20B in process volume and integrated the acquisition into the existing portfolio.
Preston's early career included roles such as Senior Vice President: Sales & Professional Services at Home Account Network from 1999 to 2001, where they secured venture capital funding for an internet-based bureau, and Vice President: Corporate Planning & Development at First Data Corporation from 1996 to 1999.
Overall, Preston Polk brings a breadth of experience and expertise in business innovation, growth strategies, and leadership roles to their current and previous positions.
Preston Polk has a strong educational background in business and engineering. Preston obtained their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in General Business Management from Harvard Business School, where they attended from 1991 to 1993. Prior to that, they completed their Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Electrical Engineering at Swarthmore College, graduating between 1983 and 1987.
In addition to their academic achievements, Preston Polk has also obtained two certifications related to the financial industry. In October 2013, they obtained the Series 24 Registration from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and in February 2013, they also earned the Series 7 Registration from the same institution.
March, 2021 - present