Peoples Bancorp CEO Chuck Sulerzyski plans to step down from his positions next year, and the bank’s executive vice president of community banking, Tyler Wilcox, will take the helm, the bank announced Tuesday.
Wilcox was named Peoples' chief operating officer in a transitional role until he succeeds Sulerzyski, who is set to retire March 31. Wilcox will take up the CEO role April 1 and join the company's board. Meanwhile, a search for Wilcox's successor in community banking is underway, the bank said.
"I am honored to have been given the opportunity to lead Peoples," Wilcox, 44, said in a statement. "And I appreciate the confidence Chuck and the Board have shown in me. I look forward to building upon the strong foundation and culture at Peoples as we continue to implement our strategic plans and pursue our vision."
Wilcox, who joined the bank in 2008, has served as a regional president, director of human resources and associate general counsel for Peoples. Earlier in his career, he was the assistant city attorney for Columbus, Ohio, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Sulerzyski joined the Marietta, Ohio-based bank as president and CEO in 2011. Peoples’ assets have nearly quintupled during his tenure, to $8.8 billion. The bank in April completed a $208 million acquisition of Louisville-based Limestone Bank that was meant to double the lender's footprint in Kentucky, adding 20 branches and $1.5 billion in assets.
Peoples’ board had planned this transition for several years, said its chair, Susan Rector.
"Tyler has excelled in a variety of leadership positions with Peoples and is highly respected within the organization," she said. "We are proud of what Peoples has accomplished over the past 12 years under Chuck's extraordinary leadership and are optimistic that the future will be even better."
Sulerzyski, meanwhile, said it has been his “great privilege to serve as the leader of Peoples.”
"I am proud of the organization we are today and the impact that we have had on our clients and our communities,” he said. “I have worked closely with Tyler in all aspects of the business during my tenure and am confident that Peoples will thrive under his leadership."
