TAB Bank’s board of directors appointed Austin Strong CEO and Tyler Heap president following the decision by Rick Bozzelli, the bank’s current president and CEO, to retire. Strong was previously the bank’s chief digital officer, while Heap was previously chief credit officer.
Bozzelli, who officially retired on Jan. 5. had led TAB Bank for the previous 19 months. He also served as CFO at FJM for more than seven years and as board chair of TAB Bank and TAB Bank Holdings for more than three years.
“I am immensely grateful for the years I spent with TAB Bank. Working with TAB’s talented and dedicated team has been a highlight of my diversified career, and I am proud of our accomplishments,” Bozzelli said. “I am confident that the bank will continue to thrive and achieve great success under the direction of Austin and Tyler.”
“Rick Bozzelli leaves a legacy of strategic vision and dedication that has significantly contributed to the bank’s growth and success,” Crystal C. Maggelet, board chair at TAB Bank, said. “As we express our gratitude for Rick’s unwavering commitment and contributions, we have the utmost confidence in Austin and Tyler, the executive team and senior leadership of the bank. We believe their combined expertise and leadership will ensure continuity, stability and the preservation of our bank’s core values and principles.”
Strong, who is a certified public accountant, has been with TAB Bank for more than a decade, serving most recently as chief strategy officer, executing TAB’s strategic vision by identifying growth and investment opportunities and collaborating with financial technology partners. In this role, he also oversaw the bank’s digital banking operations, data analytics/business intelligence, customer experience, marketing and strategic partnerships.
Before joining TAB, Strong worked for Ernst & Young in audit and assurance, supporting public and private businesses in the banking, automotive, real estate, entertainment and insurance industries. Strong became a vice president of real estate banking at Zions Bank and managed a real estate portfolio consisting of office, retail, hospitality and senior housing product types.
In more than a decade working for TAB Bank, Heap has gained experience in relationship management, portfolio operations, distressed loan remediation and credit underwriting. Serving most recently as chief credit officer, he was responsible for leading the underwriting, special assets and collateral monitoring teams in conjunction with managing overall credit quality at TAB.
Heap has spent his career analyzing businesses from both an owner’s and lender’s perspective. He co-founded a business in college, which paid for his education and resulted in the sale of the company shortly after graduation. Heap then worked for a manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods after graduating from college, where he managed the company’s finances and investor relationships.
