FirstBank Announces Multiple Leadership Appointments
New Presidents Named for Northwest, West and Denver Markets; Investments, Loan Review, and Retail and Digital Banking
LAKEWOOD, Colo., July 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” announced several leadership changes:
- Matt Cornwell, who previously served as President of the Northwest Market which includes Arvada and Wheat Ridge, was officially named President of the downtown Denver Market.
- Matthew Doyle, who previously served as President of Loan Review, is now President of Investments.
In addition, the following Executive Vice Presidents have been promoted:
- Kristen Bernhardt who will step into Cornwell’s position as the next Northwest Market President, overseeing Arvada and Wheat Ridge.
- Derek Longwell was named President of the West Market which includes Lakewood.
- Luis Gallardo will serve as President of Loan Review.
- And Josie Huelskamp will serve as President of Retail and Digital Banking.
The new appointments result from previous FirstBank Presidents retiring or being elevated to C-level positions. For instance, the company recently promoted their former President of Retail and Digital Banking, Kelly Kaminskas, to Chief Digital Officer, and President of Human Resources, Shannon Jones, to Chief People Officer.
“FirstBank is a big proponent of promote-from-within, and one of the many reasons our organization continues to be financially strong and perform well above industry norms is because we look to cultivate talent and grow our company’s leadership internally,” said Jim Reuter, CEO of FirstBank. “Matt, Kristen, Matthew, Derek, Luis and Josie all have a strong track record and the expertise to lead our key markets and product areas, while supporting the bank’s strategic vision. We know they’re capable of doing great things, and we’re excited to see them in action.”
Late last year, FirstBank rolled out its long-term strategic plan, which includes an emphasis on “Include All,” or ensuring diversity is represented at each level of the organization and more resources are provided to bolster equity and inclusion within and outside of the company. To date, 36 percent of FirstBank’s more than 2,700 employees identify as a person of color and 56 percent of the bank’s management team – from assistant manager to the C-suite – are women.
For more information about FirstBank’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, visit efirstbank.com/about-firstbank/diversity.htm.
About FirstBank
FirstBank began providing banking services in 1963. Today, it’s known as an industry leader in digital banking and has grown to be one of the largest privately held banks in the United States, maintaining more than $28 billion in assets and 100 branch locations across Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank offers a variety of consumer deposit accounts, home equity loans, mortgages, rental property loans and a full range of commercial banking services, including business financing, commercial real estate loans, treasury management and more. Since 2000, FirstBank has been recognized as a top corporate philanthropist, contributing nearly $80 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. The company is also unique in that a large portion of its stock is owned by management and employees, giving employees a financial stake in the bank’s success through its Employee Stock Ownership Program. For more information, visit www.efirstbank.com.
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