Climate First Bank (In Organization) Prepares for Opening With New Executive Appointments
Latest additions to leadership team demonstrate the bank’s commitment to becoming the most successful values-based financial institution
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Climate First Bank (In Organization), a values-based community bank with a focus on environmental regeneration, today announces two new senior additions to its inaugural team: Senior Vice President and Senior Corporate Advisor Chris Van Buskirk and Chief Technology Officer and Chief Digital Banking Officer Marcio deOliveira.
Van Buskirk specializes in growing and maximizing the financial performance of startup banks and brings nearly 25 years of experience within the industry. He worked closely with Climate First Bank (I/O) founder and CEO Ken LaRoe in the past, having held the position of vice president at LaRoe’s two previous de novo banks, Florida Choice Bank and First GREEN Bank. While at Florida Choice, Van Buskirk was part of the management team that grew the bank to over $400 million in assets before it was sold.
Van Buskirk went on to join LaRoe at his second bank, First GREEN Bank, where he played a large part in the development of solar lending products and aided in its growth to more than $800 million in total assets. He now joins LaRoe for the third time as the senior vice president and senior corporate advisor of Climate First Bank (I/O) where he will be responsible for driving traditional commercial lending, commercial deposits and specialized commercial green loans.
“I’m looking forward to joining Ken again with his latest venture and applying my previous experiences with commercial solar loans to get more traditional businesses on track towards sustainability,” says Van Buskirk. “Just like its name attests, Climate First Bank’s (I/O) commitment to our climate goes much farther than ever before – our products are simple and make financial sense for any business.”
As Chief Technology Officer and Chief Digital Banking Officer, deOliveira will provide leadership and guidance in proprietary digital product development including mobile banking and digital client onboarding for both consumer and commercial lending platforms. As the former vice president of banking platforms at the Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator company, Prelim, and lead inventor of five patents in banking technology and payments, deOliveira brings a wealth of expertise in the financial services technologies space.
Prior to Prelim, deOliveira spearheaded digital transformation as former chief technology officer and executive vice president of C1 Bank. While at C1 Bank, deOliveira was an influential co-founder of successful fintech startup C1 Labs. When C1 Bank was acquired by Bank OZK, deOliveira’s role shifted to become a key member of the leadership team as president of innovation. In that role, deOliveira executed Bank OZK’s positioning strategy as a leader in technology and innovation within the banking sector.
“Climate First Bank (I/O) offers the rare opportunity to have a direct and meaningful impact in accelerating innovation in banking while also moving the needle towards social and environmental sustainability,” says deOliveira. “My goal is to bring together the best of fintech while offering the benefits of a mission-driven community bank.”
deOliveira will apply his experiences to develop world-class mobile and digital banking suites that will allow Climate First Bank (I/O) to provide the ultimate functionality for its customers, in addition to reducing environmental impacts through the digitization of all financial services.
Climate First Bank’s (I/O) flagship location located at 5301 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, Fla. will open June 1, 2021. A grand opening for the community of St. Petersburg is planned for July. Stay tuned for the latest updates, and to learn more visit climatefirstbank.com.
About Climate First Bank (I/O)
Climate First Bank (I/O) is a values-based community bank offering a complete, full-service portfolio of simple and easy-to-use traditional banking products. These products are powered by high technology to meet the expectations of today’s consumers. In addition to offering standard banking services, the company places a special emphasis on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses committed to sustainability. Eco-conscious customers will find dedicated loan options for solar photovoltaic (PV), energy retrofits and infrastructure to help combat the climate crisis.
Media Contact
Ericka Rivera
Uproar PR for Climate First Bank (I/O)
(407) 417-3598
[email protected]
