First Foundation CEO and leadership

Mr. Kavanaugh brings proven entrepreneurial executive leadership and a strong knowledge of finance, banking and real estate to First Foundation and its affiliates. In his role as the CEO of First Foundation, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overseeing the operations of both First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank. Mr. Kavanaugh was formerly an Executive Vice President and Director of Secondary Marketing for Provident Funding. Mr. Kavanaugh was a founding stockholder of Commercial Capital Bancorp and served as Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer from June 1999 to February 2003. Mr. Kavanaugh also served as Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Capital Mortgage since its formation in 1998 until 2003. During his tenure, the bank grew over 400% and was successfully taken public in December 2002. Other responsibilities included management of interest rate risk, Director of Human Resources, Director of the Trust Department, and negotiation of loan transactions, loan review, and oversight of operations in the mortgage company. He was Chairman of ALCO, and a member of Executive, Compliance, Information Technology, Loan and Internal Asset Review committees. Mr. Kavanaugh currently serves on several corporate and community boards. He is the Lead Director on the Board of Directors for NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. located in Dallas, TX and serves as the Lead Director on the Board of Directors for VineBrook Partners LLC, a private REIT that purchases, owns, and operates affordable single-family housing. He also is on the Board of Directors of Colorado Federal Savings Bank in Greenwood Village, CO and its parent holding company, Silver Queen Financial Services Inc. In 2018, he was appointed to the Board of Lanakila Pacific Foundation located in Honolulu, HI. From January 2000 until June 2012, Mr. Kavanaugh served as Independent Trustee and Chairman of the Audit Committee and from June 2012 until December 2013 served as Chairman of the Highland Mutual Funds managed by Highland Capital Management, an SEC registered investment advisor headquartered in Dallas, TX. Prior to entering banking, Mr. Kavanaugh spent a majority of his career in investment banking. After becoming a partner of Great Pacific Securities, Inc., a west coast-based regional firm, Mr. Kavanaugh became Head of Trading for fixed income and equity securities. Mr. Kavanaugh earned a BS in Business Administration - Accounting at the University of Tennessee and a Master’s of Business Administration in Information Systems at University of North Texas.

At First Foundation, Mr. Thompson is responsible for leading the financial operations, finance teams, and corporate development for First Foundation Bank and First Foundation Advisors. Mr. Thompson previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Opus Bank where he was responsible for all accounting and finance functions, including financial performance and reporting, strategic planning, treasury, investor relations, tax, and coordination of external auditors and banking regulators. Prior to joining Opus Bank, Mr. Thompson was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Midland States Bancorp from 2016-2017 where he provided leadership and guidance in the bank’s strategic business planning and forecasting; evaluated merger and acquisition opportunities; and developed strategies to strengthen relationships with investors, investment bankers, research analysts, and regulatory agencies. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Thompson served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance at Zions Bancorporation, where he managed the capital and planning processes for the $65 billion asset bank, including CCAR and DFAST stress testing, capital adequacy, budgeting and forecasting, and regulatory interactions. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Thompson served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at $35 billion asset American Express Centurion Bank, where he was responsible for developing the bank’s strategic plan; financial reporting; budgeting and forecasting; and overseeing the Asset/Liability processes. Mr. Thompson joined American Express Centurion Bank in 2006 and also served as the bank’s Controller. Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations and an MBA, both from Brigham Young University. Mr. Thompson is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in the State of Utah since 2003.

Executive. Leader. Mentor. Disruptor. Most Powerful Women in Banking: NEXT - American Banker 2019 Orange County Business Journal- OC500 Most Influential 2019 & 2020 Celent Model Bank Winner for Employee Enablement 2020OC Metro 40 Under 40- 2011

Mr. Darmawan serves as Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for managing the information technology environment of First Foundation. In this capacity, Mr. Darmawan leads and works with constituents from every division in the ongoing planning and implementation of information technologies that supports the firm’s core missions. Prior to First Foundation, Mr. Darmawan served as Chief Administrative Officer at CommerceWest Bank overseeing Information Technology, Operations, Facilities, and Human Resources. His experiences contributes to delivering and managing technology solutions by aligning technology with business objectives. Mr. Darmawan was honored with the Laserfiche Nien-Ling Wacker Visionary Award of 2015 in recognition of an extraordinary ability to propel change, a relentless drive for process optimization, and vision and foresight in implementing technology to enable enterprise transformation. He is also very active in the community through his service as Campus Pastor with International Full Gospel Fellowship (IFGF) Orange County Campus. Mr. Darmawan is a graduate from Atma Jaya University in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Christopher M. Naghibi is the Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer at First Foundation Inc.

Hugo Nuno is an Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer at FIRST FOUNDATION INC. and is based in Irvine, California.

With over 25 years experience in lending and asset quality, Mr. Noble serves as the Bank’s Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer. Mr. Noble was formerly Executive Vice President, Income Property Lending at Umpqua Bank, which merged with Sterling Savings Bank in April 2014, where he established a multifamily and commercial real estate lending portfolio program for the Bank. Prior to Sterling Savings Bank and Umpqua Bank, Mr. Noble provided consulting services to Fremont Reorganizing Corporation, formerly known as Fremont Investment & Loan. Prior to that, Mr. Noble served as Executive Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Lending for Countrywide Bank, FSB. Previous roles include Executive Vice President, Director of Asset Quality for Commercial Capital Bank, FSB; Senior Vice President, Asset Quality for Home Savings of America, FSB; work in the acquisition, development, and property management business units for Transpacific Development Company; and Acquisition Analyst for American Realty Advisors and McCombs Corporation. Mr. Noble earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Finance concentration from California State University, Fullerton.

Mr. Kavanaugh brings proven entrepreneurial executive leadership and a strong knowledge of finance, banking and real estate to First Foundation and its affiliates. In his role as the CEO of First Foundation, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overseeing the operations of both First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank. Mr. Kavanaugh was formerly an Executive Vice President and Director of Secondary Marketing for Provident Funding. Mr. Kavanaugh was a founding stockholder of Commercial Capital Bancorp and served as Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer from June 1999 to February 2003. Mr. Kavanaugh also served as Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Capital Mortgage since its formation in 1998 until 2003. During his tenure, the bank grew over 400% and was successfully taken public in December 2002. Other responsibilities included management of interest rate risk, Director of Human Resources, Director of the Trust Department, and negotiation of loan transactions, loan review, and oversight of operations in the mortgage company. He was Chairman of ALCO, and a member of Executive, Compliance, Information Technology, Loan and Internal Asset Review committees. Mr. Kavanaugh currently serves on several corporate and community boards. He is the Lead Director on the Board of Directors for NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. located in Dallas, TX and serves as the Lead Director on the Board of Directors for VineBrook Partners LLC, a private REIT that purchases, owns, and operates affordable single-family housing. He also is on the Board of Directors of Colorado Federal Savings Bank in Greenwood Village, CO and its parent holding company, Silver Queen Financial Services Inc. In 2018, he was appointed to the Board of Lanakila Pacific Foundation located in Honolulu, HI. From January 2000 until June 2012, Mr. Kavanaugh served as Independent Trustee and Chairman of the Audit Committee and from June 2012 until December 2013 served as Chairman of the Highland Mutual Funds managed by Highland Capital Management, an SEC registered investment advisor headquartered in Dallas, TX. Prior to entering banking, Mr. Kavanaugh spent a majority of his career in investment banking. After becoming a partner of Great Pacific Securities, Inc., a west coast-based regional firm, Mr. Kavanaugh became Head of Trading for fixed income and equity securities. Mr. Kavanaugh earned a BS in Business Administration - Accounting at the University of Tennessee and a Master’s of Business Administration in Information Systems at University of North Texas.