New York City-based Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT) has named Blake Johnson as its next chief financial officer (CFO), effective Dec. 1.
Johnson will join the company no later than Oct. 28 as deputy CFO before assuming the CFO role. He will succeed Marcin Urbaszek, who announced he is stepping down for what the company said was the pursuit of “a professional opportunity with a global financial institution.”
Johnson had previously been with Granite Point in several roles, most recently serving as the company’s controller. He currently serves as acting chief accounting officer of Two Harbors Investment Corp. and previously held positions at Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Deloitte LLP, Opus Corporation and Ernst & Young, LLP.
“We are pleased to welcome Blake back to Granite Point,” said Jack Taylor, president and CEO of Granite Point. “I had the opportunity to work with Blake for many years, including most recently while he served as our Controller, and I have seen firsthand his financial expertise, industry acumen and leadership capabilities. As our controller, Blake played an integral role in establishing Granite Point’s finance, accounting and tax functions, and I am confident that his deep understanding of our business and history with our team make him the right fit to help us advance our initiatives to build on our strong financial foundation and drive shareholder returns.”