Sterling Bancorp, the holding company of Sterling Bank and Trust, appointed Michael Donahue and Eboh “Duke” Okorie independent directors on its board of directors. Donahue and Okorie were also appointed to the board of directors of Sterling Bank and Trust, subject to the receipt of appropriate regulatory approvals and non-objections.
“The company is quite fortunate to have Duke and Mike agree to join our boards. Strong and independent directors are the key to good governance and management accountability. Both gentlemen have very relevant experience to complement our boards. I am delighted to welcome them to Sterling and look forward to their active participation in our deliberations,” Thomas M. O’Brien, chairman, president and CEO of Sterling Bancorp, said.
Donahue is a former global head of securitization for BNP Paribas, arranging short- and long-term financing, both on and off-balance sheet, for corporate and bank clients through the commercial paper and debt capital markets with teams based in New York, London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo. Since leaving BNP Paribas in 2005, Donahue has focused on his personal investments, including most recently the growing of a portfolio of renovated single-family homes for low income rent subsidized tenants in Chicago. During that time, he also gained experience serving on the board of a New York-based community bank.
Okorie has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Okorie currently serves as president and CEO of Windy Hill Capital, a financial consulting firm providing expertise in the areas of financial and banking regulatory compliance, risk management and financial instrument analysis. Okorie also has prior experience as an examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank, the Office of Thrift Supervision and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and as a senior compliance officer at two banks in the New York metropolitan area.
