John Koelmel, the chief executive of First Niagara Financial Group Inc., can boogie with the best of them. And does.
During a presentation at a financial services marketing conference on Tuesday, First Niagara's chief marketing officer Brent Kelly showed numerous photos of the portly, balding, 58-year-old CEO donning a New Year's-esque party hat and glow-in-the-dark necklaces, cutting a rug with employees.
"How many CEOs would do that, dress up and know who Lady Gaga is? Not too many," Kelly said during the presentation.
"John was very comfortable with that, he wanted to engage people," he said. "He loves music, he loves to dance, and again it's about being real and it's about how we engage and connect with people."
The company has grown from 114 branches and 1,000 employees in 2008 to 475 branches and 7,000 employees by 2012, Kelly said.
"The challenge is, how do you engage seven times the number of employees in three years, with all different cultures and backgrounds?" he asked.
Letting employees see the CEO with his hair down is one of those ways, Kelly said.
But Koelmel has likely put his party hat away for now.
The company last week
Though the lighthearted photos of Koelmel appeared on the big screen at the intimate 180-person gathering on Tuesday, First Niagara declined to give American Banker copies of them for publication. Where are the paparazzi when you need them?
