Gorczynski takes over as M&T Bank’s CNY regional president

Gorczynski, a 16-year M&T veteran, previously served as commercial bank senior group manager for M&T in CNY, after working as a commercial-relationship manager. Earlier in his career, he worked as a regional commercial executive at HSBC in CNY and as an auditor at KPMG Peat Marwick. 

Gorczynski says he’s excited to take on his new challenge and build upon the work of Naples, who retired after 16 years with M&T Bank. Naples’ 48-year banking career culminated in his role as M&T’s regional president, overseeing an area that stretches across Central New York and the Mohawk Valley.

“The good news is Allen left the ship in great shape. I think we fared during the pandemic pretty well,” Gorczynski says in a May 14 interview with CNYBJ. “My job is to just continue to carry the torch that Allen has carried so well here for so many years. Being really attuned to our customer needs, being able to act quickly when we need to, and then delivering it with that personalized touch — those things never go out of style whether it’s Allen, whether it’s me, whether it’s my successor someday.”

Gorczynski started as M&T Bank’s CNY regional president in mid-May. Naples’ last day with the bank was May 28.

Naples, in the same interview with CNYBJ as Gorczynski, reflected on his long career and posited that now was a good time for a change in leadership.

“I thought of [retiring] a couple years ago but I just wasn’t ready and then COVID hit, and I couldn’t do anything while we were in that kind of a scenario with all the support that everybody locally needed. So I stuck with it [until the timing was better],” Naples says.

He continues, “I’m a real change agent. I believe in change in terms of the way we operate. It was time for a change. We have a lot of young folks here … I just felt they needed a change in terms of managers and outlooks and Steve brought that. Steve has been with me for about 20 years between HSBC and M&T Bank, and he was the perfect person to take over the helm and drive our process and our ability to deliver to customers, to the next level.”

M&T Bank has 45 offices and employs nearly 450 people in its Central New York region, which covers Onondaga, Cayuga, Oswego, Madison, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Seneca Counties. 

The bank recently opened a new branch in downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square on the ground floor of M&T’s new Central New York banking headquarters at 250 S. Clinton St., which will soon open to employees who are now working remotely.

M&T says it invested about $7 million to renovate its new regional headquarters and branch, as well as to upgrade them with the latest technology, furniture, and equipment. More than 125 financial professionals — including those working in retail and commercial banking, wealth management, and insurance — will have offices on the building’s fourth floor.