Pinnacle Financial Partners Adds Anura Gunadasa as Office Leader for New South End Office in Charlotte

Pinnacle Financial Partners has added Anura Gunadasa as office leader for its new South End office in Charlotte scheduled to open in 2026. He is currently based at the firm’s Third Street office. He brings more than 20 years of experience in retail and small business banking, most recently serving as a financial sales manager and vice president at First Citizens Bank. 

“Anura understands Charlotte and the people who live and work here,” said Katie Elder, area manager for the Southern North Carolina region. “His leadership style fits our culture because he cares about doing what’s right for clients and helping teammates grow. That’s the kind of person who helps us build long-term relationships and offer the kind of service this market deserves.”

Gunadasa will focus on leading the Third Street team, deepening client relationships and expanding Pinnacle’s ability to serve both small businesses and families in uptown Charlotte. His background includes managing large financial centers, building new offices from the ground up and developing bankers who understand how to meet all of a client’s needs. Prior experience includes senior branch leadership roles at PNC Bank and more than a decade with Wells Fargo, where he served as a De Novo manager responsible for launching new offices and building business in the community. He studied at Isipathana College in Colombo, Sri Lanka and has been active in local business development and community engagement throughout his career. 

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The firm is the No. 1 bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA, according to 2025 deposit data from the FDIC. Pinnacle is No. 9 on FORTUNE magazine’s 2025 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., its ninth consecutive appearance and was recognized by American Banker as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For 12 years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2024.

Pinnacle entered the North Carolina market in 2017 when it acquired BNC Bancorp, offering community bank service with the resources and sophistication of a larger firm. Pinnacle is ranked as the No. 1 workplace in the Triad, Triangle and Charlotte markets, as listed by the Triad Business Journal, Triangle Business Journal and Charlotte Observer.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $56.0 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2025.  As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in several primarily urban markets across the Southeast.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.