Washington Trust said it has appointed James M. Hagerty as executive vice president of commercial lending and chief lending officer, replacing James M. Vesey, who retired at the end of June after a 40-year banking career.

Hagerty will oversee all commercial banking activities including commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate lending, cash management and related commercial banking activities. His office is located at Washington Trust’s Main Office in Westerly, RI.

Prior to joining Washington Trust, Hagerty served as the Rhode Island regional manager at RBS Citizens Bank, where he was responsible for managing middle-market and not-for-profit business in Rhode Island. In addition, Hagerty also more than 13 years of commercial lending experience with BankBoston with specialization in healthcare, energy, public finance and education. Prior to his banking career, Hagerty served as finance director for the city of Warwick.