From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Gardner was a Managing Director of BNY Capital Markets, the capital markets subsidiary of The Bank of New York, where he was responsible for a variety of acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts and financings in various industries that included consumer products, manufacturing and business services. Prior to this, he was Managing Director at Patricof & Co. Capital Corp., the investment banking affiliate of Apax Partners (formerly Patricof Ventures) the international private equity firm. In 1998, Patricof & Co. Capital Corp. was acquired by BNY Capital Markets, where Mr. Gardner continued in his capacity as Managing Director. In 2003, Mr. Gardner co-founded and was a Managing Director of Argyll Partners, LLC, a boutique financial advisory firm.

From 1985 to 1997, Mr. Gardner was a Managing Director and member of the Management Committee of Peers & Co., a specialized investment banking firm focusing on strategic transactions with companies located in the Pacific Basin. As a founding officer of Peers, Mr. Gardner was a pioneer in the development of cross-border mergers and acquisitions between Japan and the United States and Europe. He represented numerous corporate clients in accomplishing acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and other strategic alliances, and maintains relationships with some of Japan’s most important companies.

Prior to Peers, Mr. Gardner was a Vice President in mergers and acquisitions at Dean Witter Reynolds, and began his professional career as an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Mr. Gardner is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia. He also received his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Law Review and the Order of the Coif.