Bigham named CFO and treasurer of Five Star Bank parent

WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent company of Five Star Bank, recently announced that it has named Justin K. Bigham executive VP, chief financial officer, and treasurer.

Kevin B. Klotzbach, former company CFO and treasurer, was named executive VP, senior financial advisor, according to a Financial Institutions news release issued April 1. Klotzbach will stay with the company through the end of 2019 to help with the transition. He has been with Financial Institutions since 2001, when he joined as treasurer. Klotzbach was named CFO in 2013.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a successful succession plan for the key CFO role. In March of last year, we communicated Kevin’s intent to retire in 2019. Following a national search, Justin joined us in October and was named EVP and Deputy CFO, reporting to Kevin,” Martin K. Birmingham, president and CEO of Financial Institutions, said in the release.

Bigham has led the company’s finance and treasury operations over the past five months and was involved in its 2019 planning process, Birmingham added.

Bigham joined Financial Institutions from HealthNow New York, where he served as director of financial planning and treasury. Before that, he spent six years in senior positions at First Niagara Bank in both finance and business-line roles, following seven years within the finance division at M&T Bank.

Bigham earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University and is a certified public accountant.

Five Star Bank, based in Warsaw in Wyoming County, has more than 50 branches throughout Western and Central New York. Its CNY branches include offices in Auburn, Geneva (2), Seneca Falls, Elmira (2), and Horseheads.

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Photo credit: Financial Institutions, Inc.