Financial Institutions, Inc. Announces Optimized Organizational Structure and Changes in Leadership

– Aligns Core Functions, Services and Talents to Meet Evolving Customer Needs and Expectations
– Former Chief Financial Officer Justin K. Bigham Named Chief Community Banking Officer
– Former Corporate Treasurer W. Jack Plants II Named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

WARSAW, N.Y., Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI) (the “Company” “we” or “us”), parent company of Five Star Bank (the “Bank”), SDN Insurance Agency, LLC (“SDN”), Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”) and HNP Capital, LLC (“HNP Capital”), today announces a new organizational structure developed to meet evolving customer needs while aligning talent with leadership roles that position them and the Company for long-term success.

“We have a proven history of success by evolving with the future in mind,” said Martin K. Birmingham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Institutions, Inc. and Five Star Bank. “Our commitment to proactive development, remaining agile and responding to change drives our success and positions us to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Organizational and leadership changes announced today were developed thoughtfully to align core functions, services and talents to meet the evolving needs and expectations of our customers. The promotions were also a result of our ongoing effort to deepen and develop organizational talent as the Company expands and matures.

“Our people are at the heart of our business, and this commitment to their growth demonstrates our confidence in their ability to lead the Company and the Bank into an innovative new chapter. With exemplary experience and industry knowledge, we are confident our entire stakeholder universe — customers, employees and community members — will continue to benefit from the guidance of these leaders.”

Under the new organizational structure, six executive leaders report directly to Birmingham in new or expanded roles and each will head a division in one of six core functional areas — Community, Finance, Administrative, Risk, Commercial and Legal/HR.

• Justin K. Bigham, Executive Vice President, Chief Community Banking Officer assumes leadership of the newly established Community Banking area. Community Banking is designed to advance and strengthen Five Star Bank’s customer journey and success across all major customer-facing functions including retail and small business banking, mortgage lending, consumer direct and indirect lending, marketing, retail and business product solutions, and insurance, with a focus on digital experience and data and analytics to drive customer insights. Bigham has served as Chief Financial Officer for the past two years. His new role will further develop his career and deploy his deep industry knowledge across key growth areas of our business.