Simmons Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National, made multiple executive leadership appointments. Brian Jackson joined as president, consumer and wealth management, and Jonathan Schneider joined as president, commercial banking.
Simmons will also add an eight-member private banking and wealth management team led by industry veteran Rick Sartori.
“The unique skills, experiences and perspectives Brian and Jonathan bring will be invaluable as we embark on our next phase of growth and shape the future of how we serve our clients and create sustainable value for our shareholders,” Jay Brogdon, president and CEO of Simmons, said. “Our ability to attract top talent is a testament to our strong culture and attractive industry positioning. Adding to the depth of our leadership team will accelerate the results of our transformation efforts that are designed to deliver growth and efficiency. I’m energized to work with the strong executives and leaders we have across Simmons who are driving change, elevating the client experience and enabling scalable growth.”
Jackson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry, with a successful track record of strategic execution. He most recently served as executive vice president, head of consumer product, pricing and origination partnerships at Regions Bank. In this role, he was responsible for new product development, ongoing product and portfolio management and pricing for consumer and small business deposit products, mortgage, home equity, consumer lending, credit and debit cards and retail payment solutions. Prior to this role, he served as executive vice president, CFO consumer banking group, where he led a strategic finance team supporting retail, mortgage, branch small business banking and indirect business lines.
Jackson holds a BSBA degree with a concentration in finance from the University of Central Florida and is a certified public accountant. He will report to Brogdon and will office in Little Rock.
Schneider has 18 years of commercial banking experience, including the development of C&I and commercial deposit strategies. He most recently served as the executive director and head of specialty banking at Veritex Bank. In this role, his responsibilities included designing and executing strategies for growing private equity and sponsor relationships, fund finance, lender finance and government guaranteed lending. Prior to joining Veritex, he led the middle market teams as regional corporate banking director covering Texas with industry verticals in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma at Branch Banking and Trust.
Schneider holds a BS degree from Liberty University and is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking. He will report to Brogdon and will office in Dallas.
Simmons also added an eight-member private banking and wealth management team that was previously part of the U.S. wealth management unit at BMO Financial Group will be joining the bank. The team is led by industry veteran Rick Sartori and provides services to clients in several Midwestern markets, including St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Wichita.
“Expanding the depth and reach of our Wealth Management business throughout our footprint is a key objective in our strategic plan and represents a significant opportunity for us to drive organic growth, increase fee income and deepen our banking relationships,” Brogdon said. “Rick and his team bring a proven record of high performance and are a natural fit given their familiarity with markets where we already have a strong banking presence. We are delighted to welcome a team of this caliber and believe it underscores our ability to attract talent.”
About the Team
Rick Sartori brings a distinguished career in finance and financial services and for the last 10 years served as director of BMO Wealth Management in St. Louis, where he led a 10-member Private Wealth team that served clients in several Midwestern markets. He previously served for several years with U.S. Trust in St. Louis as a private client advisor. A graduate of Saint Louis University, Sartori is active in the St. Louis community, having served on numerous nonprofit boards.
David Ringwald brings more than 20 years of experience and most recently served as vice president of private banking. Previously, he spent 12 years with U.S. Trust as a private client advisor and trust sales officer. He also has extensive experience in the commercial real estate field. He earned his undergraduate degree from Bellarmine University and an MBA from Indiana University. Ringwald is a graduate of the Cannon Trust School.
Monica Covert-Risner has spent the last 13 years in the financial services industry, most recently serving as senior trust administrator. She previously served as a senior wealth analyst and relationship banker. She earned her undergraduate degree from Lindenwood University and an MBA from Webster University. She is a graduate of the College for Financial Planning, is a licensed Certified Financial Planner and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of St. Louis.
Sean Zurbriggen has spent his entire career in investment management, most recently serving as a portfolio manager. He previously served as a portfolio manager at Commerce Trust and Bank of America Private Bank. He earned his undergraduate and an MBA from the University of Missouri and is a Chartered Wealth Manager.
Tyler Noll has spent his entire career in the financial services industry, most recently as a private wealth advisor. He previously served as a relationship banker and retail branch manager for BMO in St. Louis. A native of St. Louis, he holds an undergraduate degree from Lindenwood University.
Borislav “Bobby” Shull has spent his entire career in the financial services industry, most recently as a portfolio manager. Prior to that, he served as a relationship banker at JP Morgan Chase Bank. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and holds an undergraduate and MA degrees from Saint Louis University.
Gregory Erdman, with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently served as a senior wealth analyst and private banking associate. He previously spent 15 years at U.S. Trust in its affluent banking area. Erdman is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St Louis.
Milica Mijailovic has spent the last seven years in the financial services industry, most recently serving as a wealth analyst. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, she is a graduate of St. Louis Community College and holds a bachelor of laws degree from Belgrade University.
