M. Robert Rose, who has served as chief credit officer of Brookline Bancorp for 13 years, will retire on Nov. 1. Mark Meiklejohn, who currently serves as president and CEO of Bank Rhode Island, a subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, will become the company’s chief credit officer upon Rose’s retirement.
Rose will remain with the company as an executive officer and assume a leadership position with the company’s board and management credit committees.
“Bob’s long and successful career in credit risk management, as well as industry leadership, is well known and respected,” Paul Perrault, chairman and CEO of Brookline Bancorp, said. “We have all benefited from having worked with him and his friendship. With this transition, we look to maintain the strong credit risk management practices that he has put into place.
“We are fortunate that Mark will assume the position of chief credit officer and the management of the company’s credit administration group. Mark is an experienced banking professional and will provide for strong continuity in our company’s credit risk area.”
William Tsonos will replace Meiklejohn and become president and CEO of Bank Rhode Island. Tsonos currently serves as executive vice president of commercial lending at Bank Rhode Island.
“Will is an outstanding leader and banking professional,” Meiklejohn said. “His efforts leading the commercial bank for the last 10 years have been key to BankRI’s tremendous success and have positioned him well to take on these new responsibilities.”
Rose joined Brookline Bank in 2009. From 2000 until 2004, Rose was the chief credit risk management officer of Sovereign Bank, and from 2004 until 2009, he served as Brookline Bank’s chief risk officer. Prior to his tenure at Sovereign Bank, he held senior credit and risk management positions at Bank of Boston/Fleet Bank and BayBanks.
Rose has served as both chairman of the board of directors and as a member of the executive committee of the Risk Management Association and is the former chairman of the board of the Risk Management Association Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission involves the development of banking curriculum and education and the granting of scholarships and grants to undergraduate and graduate students entering the banking industry.
Meiklejohn has been president and CEO of Bank Rhode Island and a member of its board of directors since 2012. He joined the bank in 2006 as director of commercial banking, and in 2008, became the bank’s chief lending officer. Meiklejohn came to Bank Rhode Island from Citizens Bank, where he was a senior vice president in middle-market lending. He began his career at Fleet Bank in 1985.
A lifelong Rhode Island resident, Meiklejohn is active in various industry groups, including the Rhode Island Banker’s Association, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council and the Providence Foundation.
Tsonos has been with Bank Rhode Island since 2006. Most recently, as executive vice president of commercial lending, he has been responsible for growing the bank’s commercial loan portfolio and commercial deposits. Before joining Bank Rhode Island, he was a senior vice president for middle-market lending at Citizens Bank.
Tsonos is a governor of The Miriam Hospital Foundation and is vice chairman of the Woonsocket (Rhode Island) Investment Board.
