Fora Financial, a leading technology-enabled provider of working capital to small and medium-sized businesses nationwide, announced that James Mitchell, Jr. has joined the company as a board of director and will also serve as Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Mitchell has an extensive 30+ year career in business and government. He spent over two decades as an executive in financial services at GE and GE Capital. He brings to Fora Financial a multi-dimensional value proposition as an innovative strategic-thinking business leader with a strong track record of developing, executing and aligning organizational objectives for successful business transformation and growth.
Jared Feldman, Chief Executive Officer of Fora Financial said, “We are extremely fortunate to welcome James to our Board of Directors. James brings enormous business experience and judgment to Fora across a broad range of disciplines. This will help us leverage the growth opportunities we see ahead and, very importantly, assist our valued customers as they rebuild their businesses post COVID. We look forward to benefiting from James’ deep expertise and knowledge of specialty finance service businesses and we are especially proud that his arrival further strengthens the board’s composition and commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
In 2015, Palladium Equity Partners, a private investment firm, made a significant investment in partnership with the co-founders and management of Fora Financial. Two members of Palladium’s leadership team, Mr. Chris Allen and Mr. Justin Green, sit on Fora’s Board of Directors.
Following a successful 25-year career at GE and GE Capital, holding numerous senior executive positions, Mr. Mitchell formed JMJ Advisors, LLC in 2014, a consulting and advisory firm serving C-suite clients across numerous industry sectors and geographies. An experienced director, Chief Investment Officer and SEC-qualified Financial Expert, Mr. Mitchell draws upon exceptional analytical skills and domain expertise in a diverse array of financial and operational functions to consistently improve the financial health and stability of the organizations he serves. He has 30+ years of experience in finance, capital markets, asset management, mutual fund advisory, global acquisitions & joint ventures, business operations and public policy matters. He was also GE’s Chief Investment Officer in equities, private equity and hedge funds who managed $5.0 billion in AUM with a proven track record of delivering top-quartile and top-decile performance over the long term. In his capacity as an institutional investor, James has known the principals of Palladium for over 15 years. Mr. Mitchell is an innovator who led GE’s minority & women-owned business investment platform where he invested over $800 million with diverse financial services firms, which became an industry best practice.
Mr. Mitchell has leveraged his domain expertise across various business and regulatory matters, including cybersecurity, international trade finance, management–labor issues, pension reform, and portions of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform. At the board level, he offers multi-dimensional value to financial services firms, education and technology ventures, companies with regulatory bodies as a stakeholder, and organizations seeking acquisitions, particularly through audit and governance leadership roles.
In addition to serving as Chairman of Fora Financial, Mr. Mitchell serves as a board member for two non-profit organizations, Venture Philanthropy Partners that makes direct investments in three areas: early childhood, K-12 education & youth transitions; and PartnersGlobal which is a NGO with affiliates in 22 countries that create partnerships with local change leaders to resolve conflict and strengthen democratic institutions around the globe. Mr. Mitchell is also a Trustee & Member of the Executive Committee at Xavier University of Louisiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
