Chartwell Partners Recruits CFO for First United Bank
April 11, 2024 – Dallas, TX-based executive search firm Chartwell Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of Brian Johnson as the new CFO of First United Bank. Scott Petty, managing partner of Chartwell Partners’ financial services practice, led the search along with principal Sean O’Neal. “We were excited to partner with Greg Massey on this strategic hire,” said Mr. Petty. “Brian Johnson is an excellent addition to First United’s team.”
In his new position, Mr. Johnson is responsible for leading and establishing the financial strategy that supports the organizations’ return targets within its ongoing strategy. He will collaborate closely with Greg Massey, the CEO, to strategize and shape long-term financial outcomes for the business units.
Mr. Johnson brings over 20 years of diverse financial services experience from various industries. Most recently, he served as CFO of MoneyGram. Prior to that, Mr. Johnson was managing director at Commerce Street Holdings. Earlier in his career, he served as vice president at Lone Star Funds/Hudson Advisors.
Headquartered in Dallas, First United Bank is a progressive and innovative community banking organization. As one of the largest banking organizations in the Southwest at $15 billion, First United focuses on retail and community banking, targeting consumers and small-to-mid-sized businesses within its market areas. First United offers a wide range of financial services, from retail and commercial to trust, brokerage, mortgage, and insurance products.
Chartwell Partners is focused on identifying and recruiting senior executives and board members for clients in four specific industries: biopharmaceuticals, healthcare services, financial services, and real estate.
William Ward, a co-founding partner of Chartwell Partners, is based in Dallas. His search experience has spanned over 25 years and has exclusively focused on healthcare. His healthcare search experience has included helping to find corporate directors, C-suite executives, and numerous functional leaders, including operations, finance, sales and marketing, business development, and IT. He has worked with clients in most healthcare service sectors, including acute care, long-term care/post-acute, supply chain/distribution, ambulatory surgery, pharmacy services, home health, and hospice. Mr. Ward has also worked extensively with both large public companies and many notable private equity-backed businesses as well.
Related: Chartwell Partners Recruits CEO for Four Plus Corporation
Stuart Bush is a co-founding partner and has spent over 30 years in the executive recruiting industry. His specialization areas include healthcare, insurance, and business services, with particular emphasis on general management, corporate directors, and corporate financial officers.
Mr. Petty is located in the Dallas office of Chartwell Partners and leads the firm’s financial services practice serving bank, mortgage, wealth management and real estate clients across the country. He has established a track record as an executive search consultant recruiting senior executives and board directors for small- and mid-cap public and closely-held private companies.
Chartwell Partners Recruits CFO for Choice Health at Home
Chartwell Partners has placed Jeff Kreger as CFO of Choice Health at Home (Choice), one of the Southwest’s largest and fastest growing providers of home health, hospice, rehabilitation, and private duty services. Partner William Ward led the assignment. Mr. Kreger will partner with Choice’s CEO David Jackson, Choice’s leadership team, and the company’s financial sponsors Coltala Holdings and Trive Capital Management in overseeing the company’s growth and operating performance.
Mr. O’Neal is based in Chartwell Partners’ Dallas office. He brings over 10 years of experience in executive search, following his career foundation and education in finance. Mr. O’Neal is a member of Chartwell’s financial services practice focused on senior-level assignments including board, CEO and cross-functional senior leadership teams across banking, real estate and the broader financial services ecosystem. His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 to entrepreneurial start-ups in publicly-traded, private equity owned, and privately held firms across North America as well as international assignments.
Past Search
Chartwell Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of George Irungu as the new chief information security officer for the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH). Mike DeSantis and Deborah Rocha, leaders of Chartwell Partners’ healthcare IT practice, led the assignment.
Mr. Irungu is a security leader with tangible experience building, leading, and managing effective enterprise Information Security programs that are a business enabler and in support of overall organization strategy. He has been an advisor to executive leadership teams and board of directors, who adeptly balances security controls and business needs, with operational efficiency and fiduciary responsibility being a core aspect of his approach. Mr. Irungu joins CAQH from Summa Health where he was CISO and accountable for managing information security risk across the integrated delivery system.
Related: Chartwell Partners Fills Senior Post for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
