Triangle Capital, a provider of capital to lower middle-market companies located throughout the United States, announced that E. Ashton Poole will join the company as president and chief operating officer and as a member of the company’s board of directors, effective July 22, 2013. Poole will serve as a member of Triangle’s Management & Investment Committees along with Garland S. Tucker, III, chairman & chief executive officer, Brent P.W. Burgess, chief investment officer, and Steven C. Lilly, chief financial officer.

Poole brings more than two decades of strategy consulting, investment banking and management experience to Triangle. For the past 19 years Poole worked at Morgan Stanley, where he was based in New York and served as a managing director in both the Power & Utility and Diversified Industrial Groups. During his time at Morgan Stanley, Poole advised clients throughout the United States in connection with merger & acquisition and capital raising transactions, including equity offerings, debt offerings, recapitalizations and leveraged buyouts. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Poole worked for three years as a strategy consultant with Gemini Consulting, where he was a generalist and advised companies primarily on strategic and financing matters.

“Ashton’s background in senior level corporate strategy, investment banking, and consulting is a great professional fit with Triangle’s senior team,” commented Tucker. “His broad industry exposure, extensive underwriting and analytical experience and deep institutional relationships will be invaluable as we continue to build upon our track record of disciplined growth and value creation for our shareholders. Furthermore, as a Raleigh native, Ashton has a unique understanding of Triangle’s culture and is an outstanding personal fit. We are very excited to have him join the Triangle team as president and COO.”