Matthew McGrath
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Founder & Managing Director
London, GB
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Matthew L. McGrath founded Emissary Partners in 2018 and has built the business to become a trusted advisor to prominent global family offices on their legacy asset issues, as well as to financial sponsors in special situations, credit and litigation funding. Serving as chief executive of the firm, Matthew advises leading family offices from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, the GCC and Singapore. Matt also serves as a Senior Advisor at Arena, a global advisory firm that builds and protects client reputation.
Prior to starting Emissary Partners, Matthew was an executive at Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), a global commercial diplomacy firm founded by former U.S. Secretary of State, the late Madeleine Albright. During his nine-year tenure at ASG, Matthew held several leadership roles at a young age, including Chief of Staff to the Managing Principal, Co-Founder of the Firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice, and Head of Business Development for South Asia. At ASG, he advised clients on emerging-market business issues in over 40 different countries.
Matthew began his career in politics, working in the National Security and Advance offices of then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden at the White House. He also worked at the U.S. State Department, the Democratic National Committee, the European Parliament, and the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts. Matthew holds a BA in Political Science from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Oxford Saïd Business School, where he lectures on global and non-market strategies. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowships, Trustee of the International Churchill Society, Co-Chair of the Young Churchillians (ICS), and as a member of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle.
The Record
Background
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2018 — Present
Founder & Managing Director
Emissary Partners
Emissary Partners is a global special situations firm for family offices, focused on assisting investors with their legacy positions, typically comprising five percent of family office assets under management. Using a unique “Five Lenses” methodology, Emissary Partners helps its clients exit legacy investments, optimize financial returns, and protect their reputations.
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2009 — 2010
Associate
Office of the Vice President of the United States
Matthew McGrath served as an associate in the office of the then Vice President Joe Biden, supporting the work of the National Security and Advance teams.
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2010 — 2019
Director, Advisor
Albright Stonebridge Group
Albright Stonebridge Group, part of Dentons Global Advisors, is a strategic advisory firm specialising in diplomacy, business, and policy solutions, helping clients navigate complex challenges and opportunities in the international arena. The firm was founded by the late former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and the late former U.S. National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger.
In The News
Newsfeed
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10 June 2025 · Bloomberg
Ex-Wilmington CEO Builds Her Next Act After Exiting $81 Billion Firm
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15 November 2024 · Crain Currency
Emissary Partners bolsters leadership team with strategic hires
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29 November 2022 · Family Capital
For family offices, when it comes to investing now, it’s like deal or no deal
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25 May 2022 · Barron's
Is Washington Finally Ready to Commit to Asia?
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18 December 2020 · fDi Intelligence
Israel and UAE: a match made in heaven?
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9 February 2020 · The Sunday Times
The dangers of doing business with the Chinese dragon
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Formative Years
Education
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Vanderbilt University
Political Science & French (BA, Hons)
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Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
St Antony's College, Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Areas Of Focus