Sterling National Bank announced the appointment of Thomas X. Geisel as executive vice president and president of Specialty Finance. Geisel will lead Sterling’s specialty finance teams which include ABL, factoring and trade Finance, payroll finance and equipment finance. He will also be responsible for leading the commercial banking team based in Manhattan.

“Tom’s leadership approach is a perfect fit with our team-based delivery strategy here at Sterling,” said Jim Peoples, chief banking officer of Sterling National Bank. “With his diverse background and proven track record as a public company CEO and Board member, we are confident Tom will be a valuable asset in helping us grow our business.”

Geisel was most recently the managing partner of Templar Ventures, a New Jersey-based merchant bank that focuses on investing in privately held and growth-oriented small and middle market companies. Prior to founding Templar, Geisel served as president and CEO of Sun Bancorp, a publicly traded commercial bank.

Prior to joining Sun, Geisel held a number of senior leadership positions with KeyCorp from 1999 to 2008, eventually serving as President of KeyBank’s Northeast Region, which comprised nine districts across New York, New Jersey, New England and Florida, with assets of approximately $20 billion and revenue exceeding $550 million.

Geisel’s other professional experience includes five years as a partner in a New Jersey-based merchant banking boutique and 10 years representing the U.S. Department of Justice in various capacities domestically and as a diplomat in Latin America and the Caribbean.