Paul B. Murphy Jr.

Paul B Murphy Jr. is an American retired banker who was the CEO and chairman of Cadence Bank.

Early life and education
Murphy was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He received his early education from Warren Central High School. From 1977-1981, Murphy attended Mississippi State University from where he received his bachelor's degree in finance. He graduated from University of Texas at Austin in 1988 with Masters in business administration.

Career
Murphy began his banking career in 1981 at Allied Bank of Texas, where he was a Vice President from June, 1981 till December, 1989. Later in 1990, he joined Amegy Bank as an Executive Vice President and was elected as President in 1996. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Amegy Bank of Texas, from 2000 till 2009.

Murphy along with a group of investors raised $1 billion to acquire Cadence Bank in 2011. He was the chairman and CEO of the bank until 2021, when Cadence Bank merged with BancorpSouth Bank in October, 2021.

As part of the merger, Murphy transitioned to the role of executive vice chairman of the new Cadence Bank. He retired from the bank, having moved into a consulting role with Cadence by the end of March 2023.

He has been a director of Oceaneering International, Inc., since August 2012.