Fifth Third said it has named Maria Veltre as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, effective immediately. She most recently was managing director and chief marketing officer for Small Business at Citibank.

Over her 27-year history in financial services, Veltre has held marketing leadership positions at Citibank, JPMorgan Chase and GE Capital. Her extensive digital background includes directing marketing for Citibank.com and Chase.com. In her new role, Veltre will report to Todd Clossin, executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

“Maria’s extensive experience and breadth of knowledge will build on our success and help drive further progress in developing our brand,” Clossin said. “She has a proven track record in creating strategies to target untapped opportunities while leading high-performance teams.”

Veltre’s banking career began in credit card marketing in 1986 with the former Chase Manhattan Bank.

“I’m excited to join Fifth Third Bank at a time of unprecedented change in both marketing media and the banking industry itself,” Veltre said. “Recent innovations at the bank, a commitment to a customer-centric approach and a strong leadership team all were compelling reasons to join Fifth Third Bank.”

Veltre succeeds Larry Magnesen, who served as CMO since January 2007. Magnesen has been named director of corporate communications, leading a team that includes public relations, employee communications, reputation risk management and social media.