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Get filing alertsPJT Partners announces CFO succession: Arun Kalra to replace Helen Meates Oct 1, 2026
Filed July 16, 2026 · Period ending July 13, 2026 · ~1 min read
Key Changes
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Helen Meates stepping down as CFO effective October 1, 2026 after more than a decade in the role; will remain through year-end 2026 in non-executive capacity to ensure smooth transition before retiring.
Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Compensation verify on EDGAR → -
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Arun Kalra, current Director of Finance, appointed successor CFO effective October 1, 2026. Kalra has been with PJT Partners since 2016, working closely with Meates across the global finance function.
Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Compensation verify on EDGAR → -
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CEO Paul Taubman and the Board expressed high confidence in Kalra's ability to lead the finance function, citing his leadership, integrity, and commitment to excellence.
Exhibit 99.1 view on EDGAR → -
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Meates will continue receiving current base salary during transition and remains eligible for fiscal 2026 cash bonus; departure will qualify as retirement for equity award vesting purposes.
Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Compensation verify on EDGAR →
Summary
PJT Partners disclosed a planned CFO succession with a three-month transition period. Helen Meates, who has served as CFO for over ten years, will step down October 1, 2026 and remain through year-end in a non-executive role before retiring.
Her successor, Arun Kalra, is an internal promotion — he joined the firm in 2016 as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis and currently serves as Director of Finance, having worked closely with Meates to build the global finance function. The extended handover period and internal succession suggest continuity in financial leadership and strategy.
CEO Paul Taubman and the Board publicly expressed confidence in Kalra's readiness for the role. For retail holders, this is a routine governance matter with no immediate concerns: the company is managing a planned leadership transition with an experienced internal candidate who has a decade of institutional knowledge. Meates' compensation during the transition (current salary, fiscal 2026 bonus eligibility, and retirement treatment for equity awards) is standard for an orderly executive departure.
Section-by-Section Diff
Event · Exhibit 99.1
Added in current filing · view on EDGAR →
PJT Partners Inc. (the “Company” or “PJT Partners”) (NYSE: PJT) today announced the appointment of Arun Kalra as Chief Financial Officer, effective October 1, 2026. Mr. Kalra will succeed Helen Meates, who will step down as Chief Financial Officer of the Company after more than a decade in the role. Ms. Meates will stay on through year-end 2026 to ensure a seamless transition.
PJT Partners is appointing Arun Kalra as CFO effective October 1, 2026, succeeding Helen Meates who is stepping down after more than ten years in the role. Meates will remain through year-end 2026 to facilitate the transition. This is a planned leadership succession with an extended handover period.
Added in current filing · view on EDGAR →
Mr. Kalra currently serves as Director of Finance at PJT Partners. He joined the Company in 2016 as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis and has worked closely with Ms. Meates across all aspects of PJT Partners' global finance function, taking on progressively broader responsibilities. Prior to joining PJT Partners, Mr. Kalra was a senior member of the compensation team at UBS.
Arun Kalra is an internal promotion, having been with PJT Partners since 2016 in finance leadership roles. He currently serves as Director of Finance and has worked closely with the outgoing CFO across the global finance function. His prior experience includes senior compensation work at UBS.
Show 1 minor / wording change
Added in current filing · view on EDGAR →
“Helen has been an extraordinary partner in building PJT Partners since our earliest days, and we are deeply grateful for her contributions to our success," said Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are fortunate to have a successor who shares the same standards of leadership, integrity, and commitment to excellence. Our Board of Directors and management team are highly confident that Arun is the right person to lead our finance function forward.”
CEO Paul Taubman expressed strong confidence in the transition, praising Meates' contributions and stating that both the Board and management team are highly confident in Kalra's ability to lead the finance function. This signals board alignment on the succession plan.
Event · Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Compensation
Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Compensation filed; see Key Changes for terms.
Added in current filing · verify on EDGAR →
Helen Meates, Chief Financial Officer of PJT Partners Inc. (the “Company”), has informed the Company of her intention to step down from her role as Chief Financial Officer as of October 1, 2026 (the “Effective Date”). Following the Effective Date, Ms. Meates will remain at the Company in a non-executive officer role to assist with the transition of her responsibilities and retire from the Company following the conclusion of the transition period.
Helen Meates will step down as CFO on October 1, 2026, transitioning to a non-executive role to assist with the handover before retiring. This is a planned succession with an orderly transition period, not an abrupt departure.
Added in current filing · verify on EDGAR →
The Company’s Board of Directors has appointed Arun Kalra to succeed Ms. Meates as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer effective as of the Effective Date.
Mr. Kalra, 38, currently the Company’s Director of Finance, has spent the last decade helping Ms. Meates build the global finance function of the Company, having joined the firm in 2016, initially as head of Financial Planning and Analysis.
Arun Kalra, the current Director of Finance who has been with the company for a decade, will become CFO on October 1, 2026. His long tenure and role building the finance function alongside the outgoing CFO suggests continuity and internal knowledge.
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Figures/quotes linked to EDGAR · Narrative written by AI · Jul 17, 2026 · How we verify