Synovus lands Regions exec to fill CFO spot

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., has plucked its new chief financial officer from a rival bank.

Jamie Gregory will become executive vice president and CFO of the $47 billion-asset Synovus on June 24, the bank said Monday. He has worked for the $129 billion-asset Regions Financial Corp. in Birmingham, Ala., for a decade — most recently as executive vice president and head of corporate financial strategy.

“Jamie is a highly regarded industry executive with a long history of leading the most critical aspects of corporate finance,” Kessel D. Stelling, chairman and CEO of Synovus, said in a press release. “His background and expertise will bring added strength and perspective to our company as we focus on growth and performance in a competitive industry.”

Gregory will succeed Kevin Blair, who joined Synovus as executive vice president and CFO in August of 2016 and was named chief operating officer in December 2018. He held the dual roles of COO and CFO while the company looked for his successor.

Gregory joined Regions in 2009 and has worked as assistant treasurer, chief investment officer, head of corporate development and profitability, and head of finance and corporate development. He was named head of corporate financial strategy early this year.

Before he joined Regions, Gregory worked for Wachovia for 10 years in a number of corporate investment and portfolio management positions.