People news: Jones named chief marketing officer at Five Star Bank

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent company of Five Star Bank, announced that it has hired Blake Jones as its new senior VP, chief marketing officer.

In this role, Jones will support development of the strategic framework and long-term vision for the bank. She will lead both marketing and analytics on an enterprise-wide basis, focusing on strategy, brand and performance marketing, and audience insights, according to a Five Star Bank news release.

Jones will report to Justin K. Bigham, executive VP, chief community banking officer at the bank.

Jones joins Five Star from Arrow Financial Corp., where she most recently served as senior VP and marketing director. Prior to joining the Glens Falls–based public company in 2012, she was a journalist and editor with publications in New York, Hawaii, and California.

“As Five Star Bank grows and evolves for the future, Blake’s experience leading diversified financial services brand development will be immensely valuable,” Bigham said in the release. “I look forward to her contributions and fresh perspective as Five Star Bank continues on its growth trajectory while staying true to its purpose of helping customers and communities thrive.”

Jones will be based in Rochester. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Washington and Lee University.

Five Star Bank, based in Warsaw in Wyoming County, has about 50 branches located throughout Western and Central New York. Its CNY branches include offices in Auburn, Waterloo, Geneva, Ovid, Horseheads, and Elmira.

Five Star Bank recently expanded into the Syracuse market with a new commercial-loan production office at 115 Solar St. in the city’s Franklin Square area.