C. Allen Parker
C. Allen Parker | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1955 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, corporate executive |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | Senior executive vice president and general counsel at Wells Fargo; interim CEO and president of Wells Fargo; presiding partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP |
C. Allen Parker (born February 17, 1955) is a prominent American attorney and corporate executive. He held the positions of senior executive vice president and general counsel at Wells Fargo, additionally serving as interim CEO and president. Prior to his tenure at Wells Fargo, Parker was a partner and the fifteenth presiding partner at the New York-based law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.
Early life and education
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Parker grew up in Georgia. His parents are Charles A. Parker, a university professor, and Sara Parker (née Hobby), who worked as an elementary school educator. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science and comparative area studies from Duke University in 1977. Parker then earned an M.A. in political science from the University of Chicago in 1980, concentrating on South Asia and the Middle East regions. He completed his J.D., also magna cum laude, at Columbia University School of Law in 1983, where he contributed as a Notes and Comments editor for the Columbia Law Review.
Career
Between 1983 and 1984, Parker clerked for the Honorable Amalya L. Kearse on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following this clerkship, he joined the corporate division of Cravath, Swaine & Moore as an associate.
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
In June 1990, Parker was elevated to partner status, focusing his practice on commercial bank financing, general corporate matters, securities issuances, mergers and acquisitions, as well as derivatives transactions. He earned recognition as a leading expert in banking and finance law and collaborated closely with JPMorgan’s vice chairman James B. Lee during the bank’s expansion into investment banking.
His leadership roles at Cravath included managing partner of the corporate department from 2001 through 2004, deputy presiding partner from 2007 until 2013—during which he also led the corporate department for two years—and ultimately serving as the firm’s fifteenth presiding partner between 2013 and 2016.
Wells Fargo
Parker transitioned from Cravath to Wells Fargo in March 2017 to assume the role of General Counsel with a mission to enhance the legal department’s ethical standards within the corporation.
After CEO Timothy J. Sloan stepped down in March 2019, Parker was named interim CEO and president while the board conducted a search for a permanent replacement. At that time, he also joined Wells Fargo’s board of directors and was reappointed by shareholders in April 2019. He resumed his General Counsel duties in October 2019 before leaving Wells Fargo in March 2020.
Renowned for his negotiation expertise coupled with strategic business acumen, Parker’s executive roles have consistently highlighted adherence to ethical principles and organizational culture alongside his legal proficiency.
Personal life
Since 1996, Parker has been married and is a father to four children.