Managing Partner, Head of Advisory Practice
Darlene DeRemer joined Donald H. Putnam in founding Grail Partners LLC in 2005. In addition to heading up the Boston office, Darlene is the senior banker focusing on the mutual fund industry worldwide, and has advised clients in a wide range of strategic transactions. Grail is an advisory merchant bank serving the investment management industry from offices in Boston, New York and California. Grail partners have worked on over 100 strategic transactions involving asset management businesses over two decades.
Prior to becoming an investment banker at Putnam Lovell NBF in 2003, Ms DeRemer was for twenty five years a leading advisor to the financial services industry, specializing in strategic marketing, planning, product design and the implementation of innovative service strategies. Her work on outsourcing and use of technology has transformed her fund company clients. She has participated in numerous fund company asset management restructuring transactions.
Since shifting to investment banking full time, Darlene has led or participated in a score of advisory transactions. Her current clients include sale and purchase mandates for institutional and mutual fund managers in the US, as well as restructuring assignments for alternative investment firms that seek to tap the public markets in the US and abroad.
Darlene ran NewRiver's eBusiness Advisory unit for four years, until 2003, prior to which she operated her own strategy firm in asset management, DeRemer + Associates. DeRemer & Associates was the first consultancy focused on the U.S. mutual fund industry.
From 1985 to 1987 Darlene was Vice President and Director in the Asset Management Division of State Street Bank & Trust Company (now State Street Global Advisors) where she managed the $4 billion Pension Real Estate Department and developed Marketing Communications and Client Service programs. Before joining State Street, Darlene was a Vice President at T. Rowe Price & Associates from 1982 – 1985. Darlene's career started in strategic planning, at Tiger International and its subsidiary, Flying Tiger Airlines.
Darlene earned a BS in finance and marketing in 1977 summa cum laude and MBA degree in 1979 with distinction from Syracuse University. She graduated Beta Gamma Sigma (Phi Beta Kappa analogous).