Pacific Western Bank promoted Sean Lynden to president of its venture banking group. Lynden will replace Frank Tower, who is leaving the bank to become a partner at Savano Capital Partners, a direct secondaries focused growth equity fund.

Lynden has been affiliated with Pacific Western Bank since 2015 and previously served as EVP of technology venture banking, managing originations nationwide. During his tenure he also held roles in both credit and portfolio management.

“Sean’s extensive background in all aspects of venture banking make him well suited to take on this new role,” Mark Yung, EVP and COO of Pacific Western Bank, said. “He has earned the respect of his colleagues by being a leader who collaborates and listens to the needs of clients, while having a keen understanding [of] the broader capital landscape and how it can impact success.”

Lynden has more than 28 years of experience in venture lending. Prior to joining Pacific Western Bank, he was a founding partner at venture debt fund Gold Hill Capital. He began his career at Silicon Valley Bank, where he held various positions in the bank’s technology group as well as in credit administration and finance.

Pacific Western Bank is a commercial bank with more than $26 billion in assets headquartered in Los Angeles with executive offices in Denver.