M&T Bank vice chairmen add duties following Czarnecki death

BUFFALO, N.Y. — M&T Bank Corp.’s (NYSE: MTB) three vice chairmen have assumed the duties of former president Mark Czarnecki, who died Feb. 26.

The executives include Richard Gold, René Jones, and Kevin Pearson. Their additional responsibilities begin “effective immediately,” M&T Bank said in a news release issued Monday.

Gold, 56, who has been serving as the bank’s chief risk officer (CRO) since 2014, will “change and expand” his role and responsibilities. He will assume responsibility for retail banking, business banking, mortgage and consumer lending and marketing. Gold, who has worked for M&T for 28 years, will also maintain his responsibility for the legal division.

Jones, 52, who has served as M&T’s CFO for 11 years, will continue his duties operating Wilmington Trust and M&T’s treasury division. He’ll now be responsible for the company’s human-resources functions and its Buffalo Promise Neighborhood initiative. Jones has worked for M&T for 25 years.

Pearson, 55, has been responsible for “building and enhancing” banking company’s commercial-banking and credit divisions “across all of M&T’s geographies,” the release stated. In addition to those duties, Pearson will now have responsibility for the technology and banking-operations division. He has worked for M&T for 28 years.

“At M&T we have succeeded, in part, by ensuring that our rising leaders gain diverse work, management and leadership experiences. This tradition was exemplified by our long-time president, Mark Czarnecki, whose own career was distinguished by wide-ranging assignments and ever-growing responsibilities,” Robert Wilmers, chairman and CEO of M&T Bank, said in the release. “While it is difficult to replace Mark and restructure his duties, this necessary task is more manageable because we’re carrying on his career tradition, and because his responsibilities are being passed to strong and experienced leaders who have followed in Mark’s footsteps.”

Buffalo–based M&T Bank operates banking offices in in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T’s Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com