Simone Grimes
Simone Grimes is a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Qualified Audit Committee Financial Expert with deep expertise in financial strategy, operations & execution, board service, and executive leadership for large and mid-cap, high-growth, and heavily regulated companies across multiple industry sectors including:
- Banking
- Insurance
- Real Estate
- Housing
- Finance
- Private Equity
- Public Accounting
Simone Grimes is an Audit Committee Financial Expert as defined by the SEC. She spent six years in public accounting holding senior leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Grant Thornton, and Walker & Company LLP. In these roles, she oversaw audit engagements in the financial services practice for large banks, insurance companies, private equity firms, and lending institutions. She rounded out her time in public accounting as a practice leader working with companies in high-growth sectors (real estate, consumer products, and healthcare) through capital restructuring strategies such as:
- Initial public offerings (IPO)
- Debt Restructuring
- Mergers, Acquisitions and Dispositions
Simone Grimes’ corporate board experience has included serving on two boards through complex mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and exit strategies, serving as a strategic advisor to the board through capital restructuring initiatives, serving on her company’s board as assistant treasurer, working with the boards of two large cap fortune 100 public companies to implement cybersecurity governance programs and corresponding board charters, ESG objectives and metrics, and the design of a comprehensive executive compensation program for named executive officers (NEOs).
Simone’s diverse and rich strategy and execution experience has included serving as a strategic Chief Financial Officer for Acadia Insurance, a W.R. Berkley Company (NYSE: WRB), executing strategic growth initiatives at Progressive Insurance (NYSE: PGR), leading two companies through IPO and debt restructuring strategies, and leading transformative multi-year strategies for the nation’s two largest housing finance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in her capacity as Special Advisor for the Conservatorships at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Additionally, Simone Grimes oversaw the development of a multi-year diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy, as well as corresponding operating plans, that met organizational goals and complied with regulatory and statutory requirements.
Simone Grimes is passionate about delivering value to investors, raising capital, and growing businesses. She believes in active shareholder engagement and a proactive approach to investor relations. She led two successful multimillion-dollar M&A exit strategies in her career, most recently as the chairman of the board for Green Growth Group, Inc., a privately held company with a portfolio of sustainable agricultural and technology assets and consumer product brands. These transactions delivered ROI of 18x to investors. Post disposition, she continued to serve on the board for the acquired entity to promote value realization. Simone Grimes also advised on post-deal integration and ensured that ESG metrics were accurately quantified and recorded for public reporting.
Simone Grimes teaches classes nationally and internationally for the Institute of Internal Auditors on a variety of corporate governance topics, including Enterprise Risk Management, Ethics & Compliance, Fraud & Corruption, Accounting Standard Updates, and Cyber Security.
Simone Grimes holds an MBA from Cornell University, a Certificate in ESG Investments from Columbia University, is a Certified Public Accountant (Virginia), a Certified Internal Auditor and holds a Certified Corporate Director designation from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
In addition to her professional and academic accolades, Simone is also active on multiple non-profit boards of directors, including serving on the audit, finance, and governance committees where she leverages her corporate governance expertise, philanthropic support, and financial acumen. Simone is a champion of financial literacy for children in grades 1 through 12 and mentorship for at-risk youth. Simone Grimes understands that children who are not provided with proper guidance on how to value a dollar will have a tougher time late in their life when it comes to managing their money.
By advocating for financial education for our younger generation, Simone Grimes hopes to empower a generation of individuals who understand not only how they can effectively earn money, but also how to manage their money once they acquire it. This is just one of the many topics that Simone Grimes is passionate about that will be discussed in future blog posts. Other topics that will be addressed in future blogs from Simone Grimes include:
- Corporate Board Governance
- Commercial Real Estate Industry
- Insurance Industry
- ESG
- Business Growth
- Business Strategy
Discover the power of precise financial leadership through this site. Whether you are interested in increasing the financial health of your business or your personal life, Simone Grimes’ guidance will be able to assist. As we grow closer to tax season, it’s becoming more important than ever to develop a thorough understanding of what it takes to manage one’s financials in a savvy way. Be sure to visit the blog often in order to further your journey towards financial excellence with the expert insights of a seasoned and reliable CFO & COO.